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Lee Hawkins

Latest Stories (10)

Why the date August 28 has special significance in American history

A number of events important to the Civil Rights Movement — from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech to Emmett Till's murder — took place on Aug. 28.

When ancestry tests reveal more than genetics

Special correspondent Lee Hawkins shares his experience finding new family with online genetics tests — and reconciling fraught history.
"The truth is, we can't really change the past, but we can affect the present and the future," says Lee Hawkins, who learned from a genetics test that nearly a fifth of his DNA is from Wales.
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When confronting your family history means making slavery reparations

Jul 4, 2024
After Lotte Lieb Dula discovered her family connection to slavery, she crafted an online guide to reparations and racial healing.

How the game has changed for Black college athletes

Following a Florida bill that effectively bans DEI programs at the state's college and universities, the NAACP has called on Black athletes to reconsider attending predominantly white institutions.

New Alabama law pushes back against DEI curriculum

May 1, 2024
In response, the mayor of Birmingham is calling on Black athletes to boycott the state's colleges and universities.
A new Alabama law limits publicly funded institutions from endorsing or mandating DEI programs.
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How the family of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is working to protect his legacy

Apr 4, 2024
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked to safeguard his intellectual property before his death. Now, his family continues to protect his works and impact.

The life and legacy of A.G. Gaston: a man who quietly helped fund the Civil Rights Movement

Feb 1, 2024
A.G. Gaston was a Black entrepreneur who invested millions of dollars into the Civil Rights Movement and Black America.
Entrepreneur A.G. Gaston, right, alongside Birmingham Mayor George G. Seibels Jr., in front of the the Citizens Federal Savings bank.
Birmingham, Ala. Public Library Archives

If reparations aren't politically viable, what's the next best thing?

Jan 5, 2024
Scholars say local action directed at improving access to housing, health care and education are more likely to pass than cash payments.

California debates who should be eligible for reparations for slavery

Jan 4, 2024
Recommendations start "with those folks who are clearly descendants of 250 years of wage theft in this country," says Sen. Steven Bradford.

2024 will be a big year for the reparations debate in California

Jan 3, 2024
After a state task force issued a nearly 1,100-page report in 2023, lawmakers are starting to look at reparations policy options.