One of the most seminal moments in John Hawkins’ life is being adapted into a series for Max.
In the early 1980s, Hawkins (who is now on the Board of Directors for the NKY Chamber of Commerce) was a student at the University of Mississippi, the flagship university of his home state. He was also the first African-American cheerleader in the history of Ole Miss — a position he’d use to spark positive change at the school.
At the time, the Confederate flag was a prominent symbol associated with the university and state. It was longstanding tradition for cheerleaders to carry the Confederate flag onto the field before home football games at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium. Prior to the 1982 football season, the 19-year-old Hawkins announced in an interview with local press that he would not carry the Confederate flag.
“I think what you ultimately settle into is to try to do the right thing, and if you are focused on doing the right thing, then you’re prepared to let the chips fall where they may,” Hawkins told LINK nky.
The decision sparked protests, both in favor of and against the flag’s use at Ole Miss. The Ku Klux Klan even held a rally in downtown Oxford where they marched in support of the flag, according to the Ole Miss Department of African-American Studies.
“That inflection point sparked the discussion around the future of the flag and its presence on campus and ultimately in the state of Mississippi,” Hawkins said.
Ole Miss has since disassociated itself with the Confederate flag. In 2015, interim chancellor Morris Stocks ordered that the former state flag of Mississippi, which contained the Confederate flag, be removed from campus. In many ways, Hawkins’ fateful decision in 1982 helped bring about these changes.
“It was an important decision because by virtue of eliminating that negative symbol, it really did create a more welcoming, inclusive environment on the university campus,” Hawkins said.
Over the years, Hawkins said he had been approached by media companies inquiring about the rights to produce films or documentaries about the story. However, when the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” Rally happened in 2017, followed by the George Floyd protests throughout the summer of 2020, Hawkins said he felt it was time to get off the sidelines.
“If that symbolism was creating this much pain and suffering, and motivating and inspiring people to do such terrible things, then I felt the responsibility, based on my history, to be able to speak out,” Hawkins said.
It was during this time that Jean Smart with SmartAngel Entertainment contacted Hawkins to inquire about his story. From there, they hit the ground running. In July, Deadline announced Hawkins’ story would be the basis of a new drama series that’s currently under development. Upon completion, it’s set to be released on Max.
Kristen SaBerre is writing the series in partnership with Smart, an Emmy Award-winning actress. Smart and Angeliki Giannakopoulos are the series producers, while Hawkins is a co-executive producer and consultant. As of now, there is no reported release date.
Giannakopoulos told LINK nky that SmartAngel Entertainment wants the series to be written in an objective way.
“It’s going to be written in a very objective way and it will be more like reporting on the things that happen and how his life was able to pull forth this incident that kind of has defined him as a human being and as a man and as an American citizen,” she said. “Obviously, he’s just an extraordinary human and that’s another reason we wanted to work with him.”
So far, Hawkins said the process has been “fascinating.” Despite the learning curve, he’s enjoyed learning the ins and outs of a new industry.
“I think it’s going to be a great story as they’re approaching it as a series, because there’s too much to try and capture in one movie, so to speak,” Hawkins said.
While Hawkins’ decision at Ole Miss was one of the most crucial events of his life, he’s since put together an impressive resume in the corporate world. Currently, Hawkins is the president and CEO of consulting firm Management Performance International. He’s also traveled the globe while working for Fortune 500 companies like Proctor & Gamble and Kellogg’s.
From his perspective, all of the events in his past helped inform and guide him on his career-long trek through the business world.
“All of those lessons learned really started as a 19-year-old going through some of those defining moments,” he said.
