Lee Hawkins
Genealogy has the incredible ability to bring families together if they pursue the facts with love, understanding, and, when and if the time and circumstances are right, forgiveness.
Pulitzer Prize Finalist
Lee Hawkins is a celebrated investigative journalist, podcast host, and author of nonfiction. In 2022, Hawkins was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, honored for his reporting on the Tulsa Massacre of 1921 for the Wall Street Journal. He worked at that publication for 19 years, covering a wide range of topics including education and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on children and families. Mr. Hawkins is also the creator of the 2024 longform podcast series, What Happened in Alabama?, for Minnesota Public Radio, which was named a Best Podcast by The Guardian.
His debut memoir, I Am Nobody’s Slave: How Uncovering My Family’s History Set Me Free, is an introspective journey into his family history, tracing its roots to pre-Revolutionary America. Utilizing genetic testing, investigative reporting, and historical documentation, Mr. Hawkins explores 400 years of his family’s lineage, revealing the intertwined lives of Black and White families, their resilience and sufferings, and the impact of historical trauma. This personal exploration serves as a broader commentary on the importance of genealogical research in healing and bridging racial divides in contemporary America.
Raised in Maplewood, Minnesota and the historic Rondo community in St. Paul, Minnesota, Hawkins has been an active advocate for nonviolent social change, inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is a five-time winner of the “Salute to Excellence” Award from the National Association of Black Journalists.
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