You Were Made for Such a Time as This

By Angela Hawkins, MD, FACOG

I am the youngest of three daughters. My mother and father met in college and, despite my father’s questionable fashion sense, they fell in love and started a family. With a young family it was too expensive for both to finish school, so my mother stopped classes and started working in the law library so that my father could finish school and get free tuition provided to employees. My father graduated and moved up the ranks of the company he was subsequently hired at. He then took over evening homework and dinner duties so that my mother could not only finish her bachelor’s degree but a graduate degree as well. They demonstrated the importance of education by supporting each other to allow the other to make it a priority. I never knew that higher education was even an option. I naively assumed it was a required and logical next step. I was raised in an environment that made it clear education was an essential part of success.

My father’s job transferred us to a small town in Oklahoma. We moved into our new home and my sisters and I set out to explore the neighborhood. The very first day, a man came out of his house and told my oldest sister we were not allowed to come near his house because Black people steal. We were the only Black children in the neighborhood and the only Black students at our new elementary school. My first memory of first grade was being placed in a reading group and going home and finishing the entire workbook. I was so proud when I presented it to my teacher the next school day, as I have always been an avid reader and lover of books, but my teacher berated me in front of the class for not following instructions and sat me in the corner for the rest of the session. The next day my mother was in the principal’s office demanding that I be placed in a more advanced reading group and challenged appropriately. It was the first of many times she would step in to advocate for her children.  

 

My parents never tried to hide the challenges my sisters and I would face as Black girls navigating the world. That teacher certainly wasn’t the last challenge I faced in high school, college, medical school, or residency. I was accused of cheating after doing well on a test in high school and suggested that I was accepted to universities due to affirmative action. In college my advisor suggested I apply to nursing school instead of medical school. In medical school I was offered an extended track, as the standard track might be too difficult for me. 

Despite all of the obstacles, my sisters and I succeeded due to the support and example set by my parents. I am an ob-gyn and chair of my state Section of ACOG, founder of the Oklahoma Black Physicians Alliance, cochair of my state maternal mortality review committee, and a staunch advocate for changing policy locally and nationally. I work with the state HBCUs and other universities to help guide Black students interested in going to medical school. My middle sister received her JD and is chief legal counsel for a state organization. My oldest sister has a PhD in political science and shapes the minds of future generations every day as a professor. 

We stand on the shoulders of the many who came before us. My parents lived through the times of civil rights and women’s rights advocacy, segregation, student movements, and sit-ins. They didn’t witness history: they participated in history being made. My grandmother attended the March on Washington. My uncles fought in wars only to come home and be denied jobs or service in certain restaurants. My great-great-great-grandfather, born a slave, became a Buffalo soldier and landowner. I am a descendant of slaves. We are woven into the fabric of this nation. 

The times we face today are challenging. We will continue to walk in our purpose. We are here for such a time as this. 

Angela Hawkins, MD, FACOG, is a board-certified ob-gyn based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and adjunct professor in the department of obstetrics at SSM Health Oklahoma City. She is chair of the Oklahoma Section of ACOG, cochair of the Oklahoma Maternal Mortality Review Committee, founder of the Oklahoma Black Physicians Alliance, and a 2024 ACOG McCain Fellow. Dr. Hawkins is dedicated to changing policy both locally and nationally to impact health care disparities, Black maternal mortality, and maternity care deserts.

The national theme for Black History Month 2025 is African Americans and Labor, highlighting how labor—from labor performed by slaves to the progress made during the Civil Rights movement to our current environment—has affected Black people throughout history and today. The work of Black people has contributed to every aspect of American life. To contribute a written or visual piece, email your submission and a headshot to [email protected].