We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Billy Hawkains a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Billy, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?
My generosity comes from my two incredible parents, Juanita Hawkains and Billy Hawkains Sr. They are the most selfless and compassionate people I know. There has never been a time when they didn’t offer a helping hand to anyone who needed it. It didn’t matter who they were, where they came from, what crisis they were mixed up in, or what they believed – if they had the means to help them, my mom and dad were all in. And if it wasn’t possible to help them directly, you better believe my parents were going to find someone who could. It was never and is never about receiving the credit for them, but all about serving God’s people; it has always been about loving their neighbor as God loved them. For instance, Ms. Pearl.
I have no clue how my mother met Ms. Pearl but how I saw my mother take care of this woman changed my life in one of the most radical ways. I was about ten years old and we were still living in Detroit at the time, my hometown, when I noticed this woman. Ms. Pearl was an older black woman who suffered from many physical and mental illnesses, and homelessness. It pained her to walk but that was the only way she could get to our house because she knew that once she made it to Lenox Street, all would be well. My mother fed her, bathed her, changed her, sat with her, and listened to her when everyone else turned their backs on her out of fear or misunderstanding. When Ms. Pearl needed money my mother found every red cent and dollar bill she could give her, even if it was her last. And my dad was there all along.
My father has this saying: if I have it you have it. Man I just love that guy. To this day I live by that saying of my father’s. His generosity has opened my eyes to the beautiful reality of what God did and continues to do for us: He gives. And it’s not just money. If someone needed a ride to work or to the store to buy a few items for their infant child or a good word put in for a job or (and my family will get this) a good laugh, my dad was the man for the job! As quiet and nonchalant as my dad can be, that man is hilarious and wildly sarcastic! I’m grateful for him. How he has cared for others without expecting anything in return is truly noteworthy. And don’t get me started on how he continues to love my mother, his wife of twenty-eight years, like it’s still the first day he laid eyes on her. It’s beyond beautiful.
My parents represent what it really means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I’m proud to say that they haven’t stopped being the generous people they’ve always been. The two of them serve as overseers of a food truck that provides boxes of food for the community of High Point, NC. The truck meets at my grandmother’s apartment complex and you better know my mom makes sure her mother gets a box!
Mom, Dad, I honor you. Your marriage ministers and your convent carries out the commission of Christ. When I step back and watch the two of you, I truly see Christ. I see His grace in how you give, His mercy in how you meet the needs of “whosoever,” and His love in how long you both choose to walk with those who feel so alone in this world. I’ve been blessed by your living epistle, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’m an artist, dancer, choreographer, and educator from Detroit, MI. I stumbled across my purpose and passion for dance in high school and haven’t stopped since. Over the years I’ve obtained both a BFA and MFA in Dance, performed professionally with various companies across the United States, launched my dance collective, The Third Collective, choreographed for colleges, films, festivals, and church, taught and mentored students on the collegiate level, and generated original courses for emerging artists and their professional training. I currently hold the title of Lecturer of Dance at Kennesaw State University and am preparing to release two new dance creations, both set to premiere this summer.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Discipline, integrity, and authenticity.
My advice to those in their early journey is to create a life centered around these three areas. Nothing and no one will ever be successful without discipline. Integrity is key if we want to grow and develop as responsible human beings. And living a lie is costly. It’s depleting and at the end of it is not fulfillment but pure emptiness.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
Right now I have a lot of things going on at the same time and it has been difficult to find rest in the midst of it all. Rest is vital; we were never meant to keep going until we drop. It’s just an unrealistic and unhealthy way to live, point, blank, period. That said, I’m trying to work smart and take time to step away from work and either sleep or do something that I like to do that isn’t at all related to my work, not even in the slightest.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambillyjhawkains/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100019525054689
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzu0G0rnMZsnq8OYtTC5W-A
Image Credits
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