Welcome to THE HAWKS INC

The Hawk's history is an amazing story that tells how a group of young boys (from Wilmington's Northeast) founded a life-long brotherhood that continues to this day. Together, we learned life lessons that continue to shape our lives.

The northeast section of Wilmington, affectionately known as South Street” was a close-knit community. We lived in what you could say was a village, where everyone looked out for everyone. Respect went a long way when it came to obeying the code of respecting our elders and our community. The love and nurturing of our mothers, who were hard-working and devoted to us, played an important role in the development of many of us.

During our childhood we played baseball, kickball, basketball, football, made sling shots, bows and arrows, went swimming, rode bikes, and went to recreation every day at the Kingwood Community Center on 14th and Claymont Street in Wilmington, Delaware. We learned how to communicate with others at Kingwood, which was the hub of south street. As a result, many of us were given opportunities that we would not have had at home.

In the 1960s, Wilmington was home to many gangs. There were gangs on the Westside, Eastside, South Side, and North Side. Many gang members were older young men and women from their communities. We formed a gang as a result of our close friendship. The first name we came up with was the Falcons. Our first vinyl jackets were purchased from Atlantic Thrift on Governor Printz. Several months later, we changed our name to the Jr. Titans, named after the gang of older brothers in the community called the Titans. We fundraised money to purchase our blue and white jacket to represent our loyalty to the Jr. Titans

By this time, gangs’ rivalries were beginning to take place. Territories were established and fighting was mandatory if they were crossed. As a result, we engaged in a great deal of fighting. Most of the fights occurred at Prices swimming pool and at local dances.

William Hicks’ Anderson was one of the directors at Kingwood and took a special interest in our gang. During his regular meetings with us, he instilled in us the values of self-respect, dignity, and manhood. He preached to us that we didn’t need to call ourselves a gang (with its negative connotations). Instead, he advocated for us to become a club, with a President, Secretary, Treasury and Sergeant of Arms. Therefore, in the late 60’s we became a club. We elected officers and had regular meetings supervised by Mr. Hicks Anderson. There was a great deal of loyalty and commitment shown by him.

As a result of our desire to develop our own identity, we changed our name to the Hawks. We raised enough money to buy our trademark red on black jackets with our names on them. We wore our jackets with pride. There were many people who sought membership in our club from all over the city, but in order to become a member, you had to be unanimously voted in by the Hawks.

The Hawks is a register nonprofit under 501C3