Otis Hayward comes from a long line of independent, nomadic commercial fishermen on both sides of his family. In his teenage years, he worked as a striker on his father’s boat and traveled far from his small hometown of Thunderbolt, Georgia—five miles southeast of Savannah, in Chatham County—to follow seasonally migrating shrimp along Florida’s Atlantic coastline. Mr. Hayward was encouraged by his father to leave the fishing industry so he attended Hampton University (formerly Hampton Institute) on a partial scholarship, but enlisted in the military prior to completing his degree. While in the military he was a counter intelligence agent, which took him throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe. After leaving the military, Mr. Hayward returned to Savannah and completed multiple degrees, through the G.I. Bill, and over the span of his career worked as an engineer, fireman, lawyer, and councilmen, to improve his community and remove injustices through his leadership.   

Scope and Content Note:
Mr. Hayward recalls his early years working as a striker on his father’s boat and the shrimping knowledge passed down to him while fishing off the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida Keys, and the Yucatan Peninsula, in Mexico. Mr. Hayward recalls spending his summers observing the differences between his matriarchal grandparents’ commercially fishing practices compared to his patriarchal family’s business. The hard life of a shrimper, led to many African Americans departing the industry quickly or discouraging their children from pursuing the dangerous career. Significant contributions from both sides of Mr. Hayward’s family, have left a lasting imprint in history and Savannah. His patriarchal great-grandfather, Abraham Hayward, was a former enslaved person who fought in the Civil War for South Carolina’s first colored regiment. As well as, his grandfather Prince Hayward who was a well-educated math teacher in Savannah, who helped establish the International Longshoreman’s Association. Mr. Hayward attests that his formative years in the fishing industry and the guidance and legacy of his family allowed him to achieve a better life and enhance other African Americans’ lives.