After completing his time in the service, he graduated from Johnson C. Smith University in 1943, where he also became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
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.
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.
[3] 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).
Hawkins work helped successfully integrate many restaurants downtown including those in Belk's and Ivey's department stores.
[2] 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.
Hawkins continued to protest by writing Attorney General Robert Kennedy claiming that the hospitals were breaking their nondiscrimination policy that was one of the conditions of them receiving federal funding.
The bombings caught the attention of the local news and put Charlotte into the violent category that cities like Birmingham and Jackson had already been placed in.