Reginald Armistice Hawkins (1923–2007) was an American civil rights activist and dentist. He was the first African-American to run for Governor of North Carolina. He fought to desegregate Charlotte schools and businesses.
Early life
Reginald Hawkins was born in
Beaufort, North Carolina
Beaufort ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Carteret County, North Carolina, Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1713 and incorporated in 1723, Beaufort is the fourth oldest town in North Carolina (after Bath, Nor ...
, in 1923. He served as captain in the
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. After completing his time in the service, he graduated from
Johnson C. Smith University
Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and accredited by the ...
in 1943, where he also became a member of
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never restricted membership on the basis of color, creed ...
fraternity. He earned a degree in dentistry from
Howard University in 1948. Returning to Charlotte, Hawkins went on to earn a Bachelor (1956) and then Master of Divinity (1973) from the Presbyterian affiliated
Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary. He married Catherine Richardson, also a JCSU alumnus, while he was still in dental school and they had four children.
Civil rights advocacy
Hawkins and members of the
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
differed over the best way to end school desegregation. Kelly Alexander wanted to sue the city of Charlotte over civil injustice. Hawkins believed that a confrontational approach was best through utilizing media coverage to help mobilize citizens, arguing "The only way to move forward is to engage bigots in direct controversy within their own community.
In order to make his point about the only way to move forward, Hawkins escorted Dorthy Counts, a young black girl to Harding High School, a white school in Charlotte. On September 4, 1957 Hawkins and Counts walked through a shower of spit and insults to integrate the first Mecklenburg County School.
His actions that day created a lot of stir in both the white and African-American neighborhoods, creating a national name for Hawkins. From then on Hawkins became a prominent civil rights activist in Charlotte. In 1961 Hawkins led a
boycott
A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...
of Irwin Avenue Junior High School. He urged African-American students to stay home instead of attending a second-rate educational institution.
Due to his disagreement with NAACP policies and in an attempt to distance himself from their "communist" label, Hawkins resigned his membership in 1958 and created the Mecklenburg Organization for Political Affairs (MOPA). MOPA used community activists within the African-American community to call for desegregation. Members took part in marches, picketing, protests, boycotts, and sit-in's, usually near schools or hospitals in the Charlotte area. Hawkins work helped successfully integrate many restaurants downtown including those in Belk's and Ivey's department stores.
In 1962 Hawkins filed suit against the North Carolina Dental Society for discrimination due to the fact they would not let him practice at
Charlotte Memorial Hospital
Carolinas Medical Center (CMC) is an 874-bed non-profit, tertiary, research and academic medical center located in Charlotte, North Carolina, servicing the southern North Carolina, northern South Carolina, and the Metrolina region. Carolinas Med ...
. He frequently led demonstrations outside the Mercy, Charlotte Memorial, Presbyterian and Good Samaritan hospitals in the Charlotte area. These demonstrations usually attracted a lot of press and generated controversy in the medical community. Hawkins continued to protest by writing
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
Robert Kennedy
Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, a ...
claiming that the hospitals were breaking their nondiscrimination policy that was one of the conditions of them receiving federal funding. By the end of 1962 the
Department of Health ordered Memorial to desegregate their maternity and dentistry wards. Hawkins continued to protest until 1963 when the hospital declared an open-door policy for all patients.
On November 22, 1965, four bombs exploded across Charlotte in the span of about 15 minutes. Hawkins' home was hit as well as the homes of
Kelly Alexander Sr
Kelly Miller Alexander Sr. (August 18, 1915 – April 2, 1985) was chairman of the board of directors of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and a civil rights activist. He was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Zecha ...
, president of the NAACP,
Fred Alexander, first African American City Council man, and
Julius Chambers
Julius Chambers, F.R.G.S., (November 21, 1850 – February 12, 1920) was an American author, editor, journalist, travel writer, and activist against psychiatric abuse.
Life and works
Julius Chambers was born in Bellefontaine, Ohio on November 2 ...
, a civil rights lawyer. The bombings caught the attention of the local news and put Charlotte into the violent category that cities like
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
and
Jackson had already been placed in. No one was ever arrested for the bombings even though there was a statewide manhunt, and the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
still holds an open file on the event. Many people believe the bombings were resistance to efforts of desegregation that all four men were part of.
He also helped organize the 1963
March on Washington
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, also known as simply the March on Washington or The Great March on Washington, was held in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic righ ...
and was a great friend to
Martin Luther King Jr. King was originally scheduled to stop in Charlotte and speak at one of Hawkins' campaign events, but changed his plans and went to Memphis instead, where he was assassinated only a few days later.
Politics
In
1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* Januar ...
Hawkins announced his campaign for
governor of North Carolina
The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...
. His political actions had earned him many friends but also many enemies. He lost the Democratic primary to
Robert W. Scott
Robert Walter "Bob" Scott (June 13, 1929 – January 23, 2009) was an American politician who served as the 67th Governor of North Carolina from 1969 to 1973. He was born and died in Haw River, North Carolina.
The son of North Carolina Gove ...
in a three-way race, earning 18.52% of the vote; Scott went on to win the election. He ran for governor again in
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
and lost in the Democratic primary, winning 8.16% of the vote in a six-way race; the winner of the primary,
Skipper Bowles
Hargrove "Skipper" Bowles Jr. (November 16, 1919 – September 7, 1986) was an American Democratic politician and businessman, based in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Early life
Hargrove Bowles Jr. was born on November 16, 1919 in Monroe, North ...
, lost in the general election to Republican candidate
James Holshouser
James Eubert Holshouser Jr. (October 8, 1934 – June 17, 2013) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 68th Governor of North Carolina from 1973 to 1977. He was the first Republican candidate to be elected as governor of the s ...
.
Throughout his life Hawkins was an ardent supporter of equal rights and integration. He continued his work, giving speeches and calling for change right up until his death in 2007.
References
External links
Reginald Hawkins Papers: J Murrey Adkins Library, UNC Charlotte
Interview with Hawkins
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Reginald
1923 births
2007 deaths
American civil rights activists
NAACP activists
People from Charlotte, North Carolina
Howard University alumni
Johnson C. Smith University alumni
Activists from North Carolina
People from Beaufort, North Carolina
United States Army personnel of World War II