Joe R. Hicks
Encyclopedia
Joe R. Hicks is an African-American conservative commentator and community activist. He is currently vice president of Community Advocates Inc., and the former Executive Director of the Los Angeles
City Human Relations Commission, where he served from 1997 to 2001 under Mayor Richard Riordan
.
, Jewish Journal, and National Review
, and frequently appears as a television commentator. He hosted a Saturday evening radio show on LA's KFI
; his final show was January 31, 2009. He is currently a regular contributor to Pajamas Media
via their PJTV.com online video site, where he hosts a weekly show, "The Hicks File."
In 1996, he debated David Duke
at California State University, Northridge
over Proposition 209
.
In 1991 Hicks became the Executive Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (founded by Martin Luther King Jr.) and served until 1997. He was the Executive Director of the Los Angeles City Human Relations Commission under then-Mayor Richard J. Riordan from 1997 to 2001.
Hicks served three years as a member of the Board of Governors for the California State Bar, stepping down in 2002.
Hicks, a life-long Los Angeles resident, became an advocate after the Watts riots
in the 1960s. He served as Communications Director for the Southern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union
. In the early 1990s, Hicks was Executive Director of the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
.
Hicks was formerly a board member of the anti-death penalty
group Death Penalty Focus
, but now supports capital punishment. Hicks has spoken out against black on black crime, the "culture of incompetence" at Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital, and the "black hooligans" protesting the BART Police shooting of Oscar Grant
.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
City Human Relations Commission, where he served from 1997 to 2001 under Mayor Richard Riordan
Richard Riordan
Richard J. Riordan is a Republican politician from California, U.S.A. who served as the California Secretary for Education from 2003–2005 and as the 39th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1993–2001...
.
Writing and media appearances
He has written for the Washington Post, Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Jewish Journal, and National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
, and frequently appears as a television commentator. He hosted a Saturday evening radio show on LA's KFI
KFI
KFI is an AM radio station in Los Angeles, California. It received its license to operate on March 31, 1922 and began operating on April 16, 1922 as one of the United States' first high-powered, "clear-channel" stations...
; his final show was January 31, 2009. He is currently a regular contributor to Pajamas Media
Pajamas Media
PJ Media is a media company that uses the Internet to present and comment on the news.Founded in 2004 by a network primarily, but not exclusively, made up of conservatives and libertarians led by mystery writer, screenwriter, and blogger Roger L...
via their PJTV.com online video site, where he hosts a weekly show, "The Hicks File."
In 1996, he debated David Duke
David Duke
David Ernest Duke is a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan an American activist and writer, and former Republican Louisiana State Representative. He was also a former candidate in the Republican presidential primaries in 1992, and in the Democratic presidential primaries in...
at California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge is a public university in Northridge, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, California, United States....
over Proposition 209
California Proposition 209 (1996)
Proposition 209 is a California ballot proposition which, upon approval in November 1996, amended the state constitution to prohibit public institutions from considering race, sex, or ethnicity. It had been supported and funded by the California Civil Rights Initiative Campaign, led by University...
.
Career
Joe Hicks is the Vice President of Community Advocates Inc., a political think tank based in Los Angeles. He currently serves as a member of the California Advisory Panel to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. From 2006 to 2009 he hosted the “The Joe Hicks Show,” a weekly Los Angeles radio talk show on KFI AM 640.In 1991 Hicks became the Executive Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (founded by Martin Luther King Jr.) and served until 1997. He was the Executive Director of the Los Angeles City Human Relations Commission under then-Mayor Richard J. Riordan from 1997 to 2001.
Hicks served three years as a member of the Board of Governors for the California State Bar, stepping down in 2002.
Hicks, a life-long Los Angeles resident, became an advocate after the Watts riots
Watts Riots
The Watts Riots or the Watts Rebellion was a civil disturbance in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California from August 11 to August 15, 1965. The 5-day riot resulted in 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries, and 3,438 arrests...
in the 1960s. He served as Communications Director for the Southern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
. In the early 1990s, Hicks was Executive Director of the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
.
Political positions
Up until the 1990s, Hicks views were conventionally liberal. However, by the early-1990s Hicks began a re-examination of these views which resulted in dramatic changes. Today, he describes himself as a political conservative with libertarian leanings.Hicks was formerly a board member of the anti-death penalty
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
group Death Penalty Focus
Death Penalty Focus
Founded in 1988, Death Penalty Focus is a non-profit organization dedicated to the abolition of capital punishment through grassroots organizing, research, and the dissemination of information about the death penalty and its alternatives....
, but now supports capital punishment. Hicks has spoken out against black on black crime, the "culture of incompetence" at Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital, and the "black hooligans" protesting the BART Police shooting of Oscar Grant
BART Police shooting of Oscar Grant
Oscar Grant was fatally shot by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle in Oakland, California, United States, in the early morning hours of New Year's Day 2009. Responding to reports of a fight on a crowded Bay Area Rapid Transit train returning from San Francisco, BART Police officers detained...
.