Leading with heart, Robert Dawkins champions the causes that matter to him most 

Before he can take the first sip of his iced coffee at Community Matters Café, a nonprofit near Uptown Charlotte, Political Director Robert Dawkins of Action NC is wholeheartedly advocating for the causes dear to his heart: The People’s Budget Coalition, fair wages and where people without homes can go to the bathroom in Uptown and more 

Even that last one, which might seem relatively minor, speaks to how a community cares for the least of these, Robert believes. By this point, he is going 100 mph, tracing the journey that led him to devote his life to working for change. For the zeal he brings to his calling, Robert is the 2024 recipient of the Nish Jamgotch Jr. Humanitarian Award. 

The annual award is named for the late UNC Charlotte political science professor who established a charitable fund at Foundation For The Carolinas to honor someone who betters the human condition. Receiving this award is especially humbling for Robert. He studied Dr. Jamgotch’s legacy of bringing people together while earning a graduate certification in Nonprofit Management at UNCC. Dr. Jamgotch died in 2021 at age 89. 

Those who know Robert appreciate that bringing people together to better the human condition is what gets him going each new day. 

Robert Dawkins, left, and Charis Blackmon, right, are the two most recent Nish Jamgotch Jr. Humanitarian Award Winners, thanks to their dedication to the community.

“There is no fluff to Robert,” said Federico Rios, the FFTC’s senior vice president, Robinson Center for Civic Leadership. “He is polished, but he is real. He’s tactful and smart. He’s a hardworking person who wants the best for the community. He’s the best of Charlotte.”  

Are You Willing To Work For Change?

Robert grew up in Spartanburg, S.C., graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and moved to Charlotte in 1996 because this is where the action was (and is). “Charlotte was an erector set,” he said. “There was this vibe. It was on an uptick.” 

Robert worked for a time as maître d’ at the Tower Club, where he learned which VIP preferred what table. More importantly, he learned how the haves of this city could help lift up the have nots – if someone brought them together. 

Robert later joined Action NC, where he is unwaveringly committed to its mission: “To confront and reduce the root causes of poverty, underdevelopment, social and economic inequality through grassroots education, training, organization as well as mobilization.” In his role, he’s a community organizer building consensus and compassion from the ground up. 

“It’s going into a neighborhood and knocking on doors and asking, ‘What do you think is important? Are you willing to work for change? Can you show up on Thursday night?’” Robert said. “That’s community organizing.” 

Over Robert’s 22 years as a community organizer, the names of the honors he has earned speak to his character: “Leadership.” “Unsung Hero.” “Black Charlotteans Shaping Charlotte.” This latest award, named for Dr. Jamgotch, specifically recognizes his humanitarian spirit in establishing The People’s Budget Coalition. 

Robert led the effort to create a coalition of 16 nonprofits and community organizations that asked Charlotte City Council to increase funding in the 2025 fiscal year budget in three areas. The group described it as their “core demands”: 

• A community for everyone (equal access to housing, livelihood and resources). 
• Resources, not criminalization (rather than punishment, address social and systemic ills). 
• We can do hard things (embrace a vision and willingness to address the root causes of our community’s problems). 

The People’s Budget Coalition successfully lobbied the city to double the Housing Trust Fund from $50 million to $100 million. The Fund is one of Charlotte’s signature efforts to create and preserve affordable housing. Studies have shown that Charlotte lacks 26,000 affordable housing units. The coalition also advocated for pay raises for city employees. The 2025 budget provides a five-percent salary increase for all hourly workers. 

Rather than competing for the same city funding, The People’s Budget Coalition brought together these worthy causes to speak with one voice. Robert’s gift, his boss said, is taking an enlightened idea like collaboration and not giving up until it comes to pass. 

“He’s bright. He’s informed. He’s very persistent,” said Pat McCoy, co-executive director of Action NC. “And he can be stubborn.” 

Robert puts it a slightly different way: “You can’t be shy.”

I Want To Do This Every Year

In a sense, even at age 55, Robert is just getting started. 

He and his wife, Kaysha, enjoy walking the city’s greenways. They bumped into each other one day years ago in Overstreet Mall uptown and the rest is history. When he’s going solo, Robert will listen to jazz or podcasts and think about his work trying to make Charlotte a more just and loving place. 

Now about The People’s Budget Coalition … 

“I want to do this every year,” Robert said. “I also want to add a piece or two.” 

Find out more about the life of Nish Jamgotch Jr.

Find out more about Charis Blackmon, 2023 Nish Jamgotch Jr. winner