Rev. Cordell Hawkins

Cordell Hawkins

Born in San Francisco, the Rev. Cordell Hawkins is a man who has become a hero in the San Francisco area due to his caring nature and wanting to see change for the youth in his society. After a short career with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, Hawkins retired from professional football and took up a career as a police officer for the S.F.P.D. Eventually Rev. Hawkins became an associate pastor at Double Rock Baptist Church and is of the director the Special Emphasis Victim Assistance Program in the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. As a pastor at the Double Rock Baptist Church, Hawkins became unsettled with the fact that when a family lost a child, mainly through violence, there was little support for them. From that moment on Rev. Hawkins has helped many families with the coping process and finding the monetary needs in order to pay for the costs of burial. By helping families of San Francisco, Hawkins has received the Jefferson Award that is given out to individuals in San Francisco who are helping make change in their community.

As a director of Special Emphasis Victims Assistance Program for 13 years in San Francisco, Rev. Hawkins has seen it all. From death, to spiritual help, to helping individuals raise money for their loved ones death. In many instances Rev. Hawkins has helped the families of victims who have been murdered in homicide cases. In 2003 Hawkins was inspired when he had to oversee the funeral of a 15 year old boy who was shot and killed when he was trying to break up a fight on a bus in San Francisco. This one instance made the Rev. Hawkins look at the grieving that families had to go through and prayed to God to help them to find guidance. Jane Redmond, who Rev. Hawkins helped in her time of need said, “The Rev. Hawkins assisted me, not only in getting the funds for the funeral and burial of my son, but he was there as a spiritual counselor. He's also an excellent role model for young people in the neighborhoods." Along with his support of families in their time of need, Rev. Hawkins has established an annual Homicide Memorial Quilt Banquet which he finances out of his own pocket.

Cordell Hawkins

To this day Rev. Hawkins is working down in San Francisco trying to make a difference in the Bay area helping African American youths eliminate the violence and homicides that are ever present in their lives. As a supporter of youth and their families, Hawkins has exhibited many attributes of a hero. He has given his time, wisdom, advice, support, and money to help these families. He looks at the youth as being the future of society and realizes that something needs to be done in order to help them survive the sometimes hostile environment; therefore letting them live the life that God has given them. Making sure that these teens are safe and making the right decisions is extremely important and therefore Rev. Hawkins is a hero in my mind.

Rev. Hawkins’ actions have helped many youths and their families in the San Francisco Bay Area and still are today. The programs that he has put together has not only saved lives, but has provided help to those families who have struggled financially and spiritually in their time of need. Mainly, Rev. Hawkins is making a sure to reach out and make a point to others that something needs to be done to help these victims of violence. It is his belief and the belief of others that they need to help these teenagers out making sure that they receive proper guidance and direction in their lives, so that one day they could possibly do the same.

Jefferson Award Winners (2007). Jefferson Award Winners for Public Service. Retrieved October 5th, 2007, http://www.aips.org/.

Kelly, Kate (July 2007). Honoring The Victims of Violence: Jefferson Award Winner Reverend Cordell Hawkins. Retrieved October 5th, 2007, http://cbs5.com/jeffersonawards/local_story_192132133.html

Moody, Shelah (July 2007). Jefferson Award Presented to the Rev. Cordell Hawkins S.F. pastor focuses energy, faith on healing crime victims’ relatives. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October5th, 2007, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/08/LVG 76QRN8I1.DTL.