Roderick Hawkins, a native of Baton Rouge, La., "was raised by a family who were very clear about my being involved and connected with my community and culture." His family stressed engagement with his church, school and community, so he grew up with sense of the importance of giving back.
He's been with Chicago Urban League ( CUL ) since 2007. As vice-president of external affairs for the organization, Hawkins' duties are mainly marketing, communications and civic and community engagement. His job, he said is getting the message out about the work CUL does.
"When this opportunity presented itself to work in the African American community, I knew I wanted to take that chance to give back to the community that helped raise and shape me," said Hawkins, who is gay.
"If it's a response to violence issues, or advocacy in response to education's discriminatory funding system, or sharing research in the community about the power of black consumers, we work on it," he added. "Obviously marriage equality falls in that area too."
CUL, which has an annual budget of about $7 million, is part of the Illinois Unites for Marriage coalition working on bringing marriage equality to the state. "We support both the Lambda Legal lawsuit and the legislative effort," Hawkins said, adding that CUL has provided office space and hosted events for the coalition. He has lobbied in Springfield on the marriage bill's behalf as well.
"Chicago Urban League been around since 1916," he added. "What we do has obviously changed and advanced with the times, but at our core we are a civil rights organization focusing on empowering the communities that we serve. We're here about economic, education, and social empowerment."
Hawkins sees a clear connection between the struggles for equal rights for both persons of color and the LGBT community. "The connection is fighting for freedom," he said.
Hawkins also acknowledged that "we are not a monolithic community and there are varying voices—I respect that. It challenges those of us who are supporting marriage. The important thing to remember is making sure that ( LGBT activists ) keep talking to the African American community."
The main reason for the slow progression towards marriage equality, he added, is a lack of political will for change. It's a common reason for many of the state's problems, he said. CUL has long been involved in a lawsuit, for example, that says state funding formulas for schools are discriminatory. The state has never bothered to change these formulas, Hawkins said, because of that lack of will.
But education is an important piece of CUL's mission to create sustainable urban communities. "If young people have the foundation for a solid education, they can compete and they can do well," Hawkins said.
For example, CUL arranges for a number of summer internships for young people, Hawkins added. He enthusiastically described one who had been placed with Hyatt Hotels. "We have some interns over there—one of those interns impressed them so much they wanted her back for the next summer and they may even have a job opportunity for her when she graduates from college.
"Our key areas are education, human empowerment, entrepreneurship, developing human capital and housing," he added. "From our standpoint, if communities of individuals are moving forward in those areas, then it leads to stronger standing of communities."
