Hawkins authored Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (1990) establishing the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Provisions of Title VII required the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board to give Congressional testimony on the state of the economy. An additional provision was the Job Training Partnership Act establishing programs preparing youth and adults to overcome barriers to employment through job training and other services. The goal was to increase employment, earnings, education and occupational skills. Ultimately, the quality of the workforce would be improved along with the quality of life.

Congressman Hawkins authored The Elementary and Secondary School Act of 1965. This was an extensive statute funding primary and secondary education. As mandated in the Act, the funds were authorized for educators’ professional development, instructional materials, and resources to support educational programs, and parental involvement promotion. The Act was originally authorized through 1970, however the government has reauthorized the Act every five years since its enactment. Title I (“Title One”) also known as “No Child Left Behind” of the Act was a set of programs set up by the Department of Education to distribute funding to schools and school districts with a high percentage of students from low-income families. In 1988, it was reauthorized as the Hawkins-Stafford Amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The major change was allowing Title I funds to be used for “school wide” programs in schools where at least 75 percent of the students were at or below the poverty level. The 1988 Bi-lingual Education Act is part of Title I. Hawkins was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus in January 4, 1969, which was then known as the Democratic Select Committee.

During his Congressional tenure, he chaired the Committees of Health, Education and Labor, Administration, the Committee on the Library and the Committee on Printing. In 1970, Hawkins led a campaign to reopen the investigation into the Brownsville Raid. 170 Black soldiers of the 25th Infantry Regiment had been falsely accused of a public disturbance in Brownsville, Texas, in 1906 and removed from the Army. Then President Richard Nixon endorsed the findings of the reinvestigation and honorable discharge status was restored to the men on September 28, 1972. Hawkins was also one of the original members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

In 1976, Hawkins was honored by the Brotherhood Crusade as a pioneer of Black political leadership. Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., then the executive director of the Brotherhood Crusade, remembered Hawkins as a scholar and a hard worker who preferred to work behind the scenes, and a formidable infighter. Bakewell said, “He was a man of great integrity who had the courage and power to stand by his convictions. A gentle man, but a tough fighter for his people. We trust that for all the good he has done, he is now in a better place. Gus will be remembered affectionately for his kindness, his gentle demeanor and his unwavering steadfast character.”

In 1986, Congressman Hawkins brought together African American educators and organizational leaders to form the National Council on Educating Black Children. The mission of NCEBC is to improve the quality of education for African American youth based on the correlates found in the More Effective Schools Research of noted African American educator Ron Edmonds. Hawkins served in Congress until 1991 and retired to Washington D.C. Last August 31, former Congressman Hawkins not only became the oldest living African American statesman, but the oldest living member of Congress.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who succeeded Hawkins in the Congress, reflected kindly about the man and referred to herself as the beneficiary of both his work and his vision. She issued the following statement: “It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness that I join with the family of the Honorable Augustus Hawkins in morning his passing. Gus is no longer with us, but his tremendous public policy accomplishments and his contributions to the body politic have been recorded in history. Gus was my friend and mentor, and I am privileged to hold the Congressional seat that he vacated when he retired.”

Congresswoman Diane Watson issued this statement about the passing of Hawkins: “Emulated by leaders past and present, Gus Hawkins has left us with a sterling legacy that was built on the politics of inclusion.”

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