Dr. I. Sylvester Hankins

Information Provided by

Orlando Sentinel
Dr. I. Sylvester Hankins
September 10, 1895 – August 24, 1991
Dr. I. Sylvester Hankins

Information Provided by

Orlando Sentinel
Dr. I. Sylvester Hankins
September 10, 1895 – August 24, 1991
Dr. I. Sylvester Hankins
September 10, 1895 – August 24, 1991
Dr. I. Sylvester Hankins, civil rights activist, physician and community leader, attended Edward Waters College in Jacksonville and Howard University Medical School in Washington, before returning to Orlando to practice medicine in 1926.

In a 1977 interview, Hankins said, ”There were four black doctors when I came home. Now there are seven black doctors in town. We still don’t have enough.”

Hankins became an advocate and spokesman for equal opportunity and fair treatment for blacks. He led a committee to petition the Orlando City Council for recreation facilities for blacks and was one of 50 Orlando men who volunteered to advance money for the purchase and development of land for construction of homes for blacks. The project became Washington Shores and Murchinson Terrace. Later, he helped to spearhead a petition drive to build a library for blacks.

He became a primary organizer of both the Central Florida Medical Society and the Orange County Civic Association. He also was active in the Democratic Party.

Among numerous civic activities, Hankins was a charter member of the Mental Health Board of Orange County and a member of the board of directors of the Red Cross. He was one of the first black physicians to practice at Orange Memorial Hospital.

He also was a member of the Orlando Municipal Planning Board, the Zoning Commission and the Inter-Faith Council on Human Relations. Hankins was appointed by Orlando mayors Bob Carr and Carl Langford to the biracial committee to integrate city schools. He also was a supporter of the Loch Haven Arts Center and Orlando Symphony and was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and Mount Olive AME Church.

In 1974, the city of Orlando dedicated the Dr. I. Sylvester Hankins Park and Swimming Pool in his honor.

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