Summer 1961 - Charlotte minister and dentist Reginald Hawkins leads protest.
Dr. Hawkins claims that the school board is closing existing white schools and building new ones in more distant white neighborhoods to avoid enrolling African Americans. This is the first of several protests Dr. Hawkins will lead. His confrontation techniques alienate whites but ultimately help promote faster desegregation in Charlotte.
Photo of Dr. Reginald Hawkins and Kelly Alexander
Dr. Reginald Hawkins (seated) with NAACP leader Kelly Alexander (standing) at the Board of Education. Alexander later criticizes Hawkins for "steering his own course."