Shakira Lynn Hawkins says her lack of experience may be an asset in a three-way race to represent Detroit in Congress.
The attorney for Detroit’s Law Department and former director of a domestic violence shelter, is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit, and City Council Member Mary Waters in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary. More eyes are on Waters and Hawkins after former state Sen. Adam Hollier – a contender with strong name recognition, fundraising and an army of surrogates – was disqualified from the ballot.
Hawkins has a short window left to raise her profile before early voting starts in July. In a June interview with BridgeDetroit, Hawkins said her top priorities include improving mental health resources, support for small businesses, environmental justice, protecting abortion rights and reproductive freedoms, college affordability and education reforms.
She hasn’t filed any campaign finance reports, making it unclear whether she has enough resources to mount a competitive campaign. Hawkins said her campaign wasn’t required to file during the last quarterly reporting period since she was under a $5,000 threshold, but expects to file a campaign finance report in July.
The winner in August would become a clear favorite in the November general election. Democrats vastly outnumber Republican voters in the 13th District. Republican Martell Bivings is running unopposed but was crushed by Thanedar in 2020, who earned three times as many votes.
Hawkins is a Detroit native, east side resident and graduate of the University of Michigan and Detroit Mercy Law School. Prior to her current role in the city’s Law Department, she worked as a hearings officer for the Department of Appeals and Hearings. She was a public defender and also served as executive director of My Sister’s Place, a domestic violence shelter.
She ran for a nonpartisan judge seat in Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court in 2020 but finished fourth with 22% of the vote. She planned to run again in 2022 but failed to gather enough nominating signatures.
Hawkins said she shouldn’t be confused with former Southfield Clerk Sherikia Hawkins, who was convicted of misconduct in office. Hawkins said she’s been mistaken for the former clerk more than once.
Editor’s note: This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
BridgeDetroit: How did you decide to run for Congress?
Shakira Hawkins: I was a criminal defense attorney for well over a decade. I saw a lot of things that I did not like about the criminal justice system. I just really wanted to bring about change, so I ran for judge. I was not successful, but my passion for change and reform remain strong.
I had never anticipated retiring as a judge. I just wanted to use it as a platform to let the community get to know me, see what I’m about and then run for Congress.
A couple of things happened that I wasn’t anticipating, one being U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence retiring and nine people running for her spot. I did not want to be part of that. I also switched careers, going from a public defender to working for the city of Detroit as an administrative hearing officer and now as a senior assistant corporation counsel in blight litigation.
I have a passion for policy and felt that I could help more people and be a greater service to my community in Congress.
BD: What are those policy issues that are most important to you? What have you heard from voters as you’ve been campaigning?
Hawkins: It’s important that we have strong voices in Congress because democracy is under attack. We cannot give fascism and authoritarianism a foothold in our government. I will be fighting, just like I fought for the constitutional rights of my defendants. I want my son to enjoy the privileges of what it is to be an American.
We need to address climate change and environmental justice. There’s a need for legal reform. I’m in favor of reproductive freedom, I think we need universal healthcare. I would like to be part of the solution when it comes to ending gun violence and bringing about common sense gun legislation.
I also want to protect Medicaid and Social Security. There’s also a need for reform in the area of disability rights.
I don’t have the attention that the other candidates have, I do feel like I have a very strong grassroots support. That’s not something we’re gonna see until Election Day and I hope it’s there. But I have been reaching out to community members. Those who are closest to the problems are closest to the solution.
BD: You’re running against Shri Thanedar, an incumbent who has a personal fortune to fuel his campaign, and Mary Waters, an at-large City Council member who previously served in the state Legislature. How do you plan to overcome that gap in name recognition?
Hawkins: I certainly had to be mindful of what I can do with the resources that I have. I have had a rather low profile up to this point, but I always put myself in the place of the average voter. The voting season is long. Early voting lasts weeks. Before I entered politics I wouldn’t know weeks in advance who I was going to vote for. After I would get my sample ballot in the mail, that’s when I would start to look up the people. I don’t think I’m necessarily that far behind.
I do agree that they have greater name recognition, but I don’t know that it’s necessarily positive. I’m not a career politician. I do feel like if people really want something to change, they have to do something different.
Let’s see what I can do. Trust me to be that force for change that we need to see in government as opposed to recycling the same old people and expecting anything to change.
Neither of them (Thanedar and Waters) has earned my vote. I truly believe it’s part of our civic duty to step up and run for office if we can. I’m doing what I would teach my son to do. If you look out there in the world, and there’s something that you don’t like, then you need to try to change it.
BD: Can you point to something that you would have done differently compared to Thanedar in his first term?
Hawkins: For starters, all this money that he’s spending. I would have tried to use that to help the people in my community rather than, you know, use it for self promotion. He’s indicated the advertising has brought in lots of inquiries to his office.
If you look at the leadership in Detroit, they have pretty much categorically not endorsed a second term for Thanedar. One of the things they cite is his being unresponsive. I definitely will be more responsive. I was born and raised in Detroit. I didn’t just move here to run for office.
BD: In this race, Waters has focused on her support for a ceasefire in Gaza while Thanedar has been a staunch supporter of Israel’s actions. Where do you fall on that issue?
Hawkins: I’m a human being, I feel like what’s going on in Gaza is a humanitarian issue. There has definitely been a reckless disregard for human life going on in Gaza.
I do support a ceasefire. I respect Israel’s right to defend itself, but I don’t like how they’ve gone about it. I don’t think that women and children and civilians should be targeted.
When I talk to people in the community, some people don’t care. That’s just the reality. People here are suffering, there are things that need our attention in America. There are certain people in the community that want their money spent at home. I object to my tax dollars going to kill someone for a war that I don’t necessarily agree with.
I do respect the right of Israel to defend itself but how Israel is going about it is extremely problematic.
BD: Who do you have in your corner? Who is helping get the word out about your campaign?
Hawkins: I’ve been voting since I was 18. I’ve never looked to anyone else to help me decide who I should vote for. I appreciate endorsements, I certainly would not turn any down, but have I gone out to seek any? No.
I do think it was somewhat short-sighted of people to (endorse Hollier). Great for him, they got an early start, but that closed the doors on those of us who got on the ballot. Most of the Democrats had already picked their candidate, and after (Hollier was disqualified) it felt like maybe some don’t want to take that risk again.
Do I think endorsements would necessarily make a difference? No.