Life and Career of Augustus Hawkins

Retiring U.S. Representative Augustus Hawkins(D-CA) spoke of his 28 years in the House and nearly three decades in the California State Assembly. His political career, which spanned the New Deal and the civil rights era, focused on better jobs, education, and equal opportunity. Representative Hawkins became the chair of the House Education and Labor Committee in 1984. In seeking solutions for his concerns, he co-authored the 1978 Humphrey-Hawkins full employment bill, which sought to combine a plan for the government’s full employment goals with the rival objectives of a balanced budget and reduced inflation. During the discussion, he spoke of his experiences with racial prejudice, and his position as a senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Representing South-Central Los Angeles, including Watts, his district was more than four-fifths Black or Hispanic.

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