Meet Nathaniel Hawkins of North Bend, OH

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathaniel Hawkins

Nathaniel, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Nathaniel Hawkins, and I’m from North Bend, Ohio. I am the oldest of 4 children. I am a graduate of Taylor High School in the Three Rivers Local School District. During this time, I was honored to be the first person of color in over 100 years of our school’s history to serve as Student Body President. Two weeks before I graduated high school my youngest sibling, Brandon, suffered an anoxic brain injury. By a miracle, my brother awoke from his coma a month before I had to leave for college for the first time. However, he could no longer speak, walk, or even use the bathroom without the assistance of a catheter and a colostomy bag.

After spending my first year of college three hours away from my family pursuing an International Business degree at Ohio University, I decided to transfer to the University of Cincinnati and come home to help with my brother’s care. During my time in college, I was honored to serve as the chapter president of my fraternity Phi Gamma Delta. After several years of being in the business of managing fitness facilities, I started my current job at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital two and a half years ago. Working here gives me the ability to help other families with sick children.

On September 11, 2022, I became a father for the first time with my son Ezra Parker James Hawkins being born. Becoming a father is the greatest gift I will ever receive. On the happiest day of my life, I couldn’t help but think how one of my very first vivid memories is of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Due to my not understanding the situation and my father being a firefighter, I was naturally terrified that he was one of the people on TV running into the burning buildings with airplanes crashing into them to save the people inside. It was the first time I remember feeling true fear. I see the world my son is going to grow up in and I realize not much has changed and we are still dealing with the same problems we were more than twenty years ago.

My generation has only ever experienced ongoing national crises, including wars, more domestic terrorist attacks, women being stripped of their reproductive freedom, voting rights being under attack, school mass shootings, financial recessions, pandemics, and housing market crashes. We struggle to afford education, buy homes, and escape financial burdens, which leaves us feeling unheard by policymakers who neglect our generation’s needs and perpetuate systemic issues without viable solutions. Our children deserve better, and I was determined to do something to make the changes we desperately need to see in this country so that they have a safe and prosperous future ahead of them. I realized there were so many things that people were struggling with, and I desperately wanted to help.

I grew up in a family with a legacy of service. My father being a United States Marine veteran and a Cincinnati Firefighter and mother working in healthcare my whole life. This upbringing instilled in me a deep sense of duty towards our country and a determination to stand up for its principles. Making sure that people have the right to a living wage is also of paramount importance to me. Growing up in a union household, I understood early on that every American deserves to work with dignity, be free from harm in the workplace, and be fairly compensated for their time spent away from their families.

As a man, it might not seem like I should have a reason to care as much as I do about women’s reproductive freedom. However, when I sit down and think about the reasons why I do care, I find many. I am the fiancé of a beautiful woman, brother to two wonderful sisters, and son of an amazing mother. All are women whom I would want to have access to an abortion, a lifesaving medical procedure, if their lives depended on it. Furthermore, they should be able to have an abortion if they choose to because it’s their choice and their choice alone.

Having been a primary caregiver alongside my family for our quadriplegic younger brother for over eight years now, I saw the realities of how difficult it is for people to navigate our healthcare systems and find quality care for our loved ones. The cost of prescriptions that are needed to keep my brother alive are astronomical. Without my parents having the insurance coverage they do from their jobs I doubt our family could afford everything he needs to live.

I currently serve as the District Chair of North Bend, OH on behalf of the Hamilton County Democratic Party as well as serving on the party’s central and executive committees. As District Chair, it is my role to help ensure high Democratic voter turnout in every election, leading to wins for Democrats up and down the ballot. As there are no precinct executives for Cleves or Miami Heights, I oversee the Democratic operation for Miami Township as well. Part of my duties as District Chair is to train other precinct executives, be a leader within the community, know my neighbors and address their needs.

I also serve as the Corresponding Secretary of the Southwest Ohio Young Black Democrats. Our goal is to support the next generation of new, energizing, young Black leaders across the state. From the school board to the Statehouse, we’re committed to supporting community representatives that keep Ohio’s Black working families top of mind. The need to mobilize Black communities across Ohio has never been greater. By engaging Black voters all across the state, we can put power back into the hands of the people.

This past March I was proud to represent my community, family and state as a Democratic candidate to represent Ohio’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives in Ohio’s primary election. I ran for Congress because I truly do love my country. I believe in its promise of a better life. Most importantly I believe that we can make our country a better place for so many people who have gone unheard and been underrepresented in our government today. Though the outcome was not what we had hoped for, we knew that we were fighting for the right reasons. I am proud of what my campaign was able to accomplish and the amazing people all across the state who I’ve met and whose stories I have heard. Though I lost the election, my fight is not over. This experience has taught me many valuable lessons that I will use to sharpen my skills so that I may better serve my community, help every Ohioan, and make the changes we need to give our children the future they deserve.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have definitely been challenges along the way. Something that has been a struggle in my life was being raised in a single-parent household with my siblings. Being the oldest, I shouldered many responsibilities from the young age of 10. Having experience with this type of responsibility prepared me well for my adult life as well as prepared me to become a father eventually. Having my youngest brother suffer a brain injury and become a quadriplegic was another great challenge in my life and that of my family. Being a caregiver is not something that you truly understand until you have to do it for a loved one. There are millions of families who have sick or afflicted loved ones with differences and disabilities who desperately need help due to America’s dilapidated healthcare system. Without being a caregiver myself I would not have the experience to understand exactly how our healthcare system is failing millions of Americans.

Telling people outside of my family that I was going to run for public office, especially something as challenging as Congress, will definitely cause you to get some mixed reactions, and I will be honest, it’s nerve wrecking. Every day you have to remember that you are doing something of such immense importance and that the people you are vying to represent actually needed you to do the hard work and fight for them and their families. Also, it is okay to be scared. I sure was. However, no one who has ever done anything great for the world ever lived their whole lives without feeling fear. You have to embrace it. If your scared about something and feeling out of your comfort zone, you are moving in the right direction. Every time I addressed a crowd of people, whether that be in high school, college, or as a candidate, I was always nervous to step out onto that stage every single time.

When people see you do the difficult things they feel more confident that you are actually able and willing to do things like having difficult conversations with both supporters and opponents, your capability of solving complex issues, and demonstrating the ability to work across the aisle when necessary to find the best possible solutions to help the people of Ohio.

Amassing support from the different county Democratic parties took time and patience. I sent hundreds of emails and left dozens of voicemails that mostly went unanswered for a long time. At first not many people outside of the people who knew me personally took my candidacy seriously. It took months of traveling to every grocery store, gas station, county fair, and attending every meeting of every organization that I possibly could in order to speak in person with as many people as was humanly possible.

This meant union meetings, teachers associations, different democratic organization’s membership meetings, local chambers of commerce, and even church services. I also met with every local elected official I could arrange a meeting with including county commissioners, different township administrators, school board members, city council members, and even the then democratic minority whip in the Ohio state house, Jessica Miranda. Because I had already done all of that work by the time had come to officially launch my campaign in September, the word of mouth about my candidacy all around the 8th congressional district was already well underway.

My supporters and volunteers were the lifeblood of my campaign and who truly believed in the message that we were trying to share with all of Ohio. They all made this campaign even possible and made it a hard-fought contest. Even when others said I had no chance to win this election, they believed in me and for that I will be forever grateful. However, as I was relatively unknown and new on Ohio’s political scene, resources to run the campaign were scarce. I come from humble means and am just a normal guy who wanted to make a difference, which was different from the typical corporate executive or law background individuals who typically run for Federal office and have more means to do so. Which is why my campaign resonated with so many people. I was one of them, someone who was currently facing the same struggles that they and their family were. So being a younger, relatively unknown candidate can make it very difficult to run for office where much gate keeping, and access is traditionally withheld for older generations.

There was definitely some ugliness that I came face to face with as well. From one of my opponents, I received racial insults and was even attempted to be bribed to exit the race over fear of the current success of my candidacy. It is because I know that this ugliness exists that I must advocate for change because I know there are others who are disingenuous in their words and actions. My family and I have received hate our whole lives for simply being who we were. This conduct was nothing new and I was determined to persevere as I always have.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
After several years of being in the business of managing fitness facilities, I started my current job at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital two and a half years ago.

As a general manager in the fitness industry, I was responsible for managing the day-to-day operations, ensuring that all staff performance objectives are met in order to provide a judgment free atmosphere for our members. Carried out the hiring and training process for all club employees and was accountable for leading the team in a motivative manner with a continuous focus on employee development. Also responsible for recording/tracking/ordering of the club inventory, making the staff schedule every week, performing maintenance and upkeep as needed in the gym, as well as sending End of Day reports to the regional manager and the franchise Vice President.

Currently in my role as a Patient Access Representative, it is my job to provide administrative support in a variety of medical settings. My duties include clerical work, patient assistance and recordkeeping. Being a Patient Access Representative requires you to balance a variety of duties in a fast-paced, and sometimes high-risk environment. My main responsibility is to greet and assist patients in registering for their appointments, and to also provide exceptional customer service in person and on the phone. As one of the most tenured PARs in the Test Referral Center, I have overseen the training of everyone currently working in the department.

I find that my ability to listen to others has served me well in being able to help people in their times of need. Service has always been at the center of my convictions, and I have always wanted nothing but to help whoever I could. I aspire to be a selfless leader who gets gratitude out of being able to help his teammates and coworkers to succeed.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
My number one resource in all honesty is my family. I turn to them for any and all things as they turn to me. Everything I do is and will always be for my family.