Date: 2010-04-20
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H. Res. 1271. "Honoring the life and achievements of Dr. Benjamin Lawson Hooks" introduced by my distinguished colleague from Michigan. Representative CONYERS. Dr. Benjamin Lawson Hooks was a civil rights leader and served as the Executive Director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1977 to 1992. Dr. Hooks graduated with a bachelors degree from Howard University. a juris doctor degree from DePaul University College of Law. and received an honorary doctorate from Central Connecticut State University. He held professional memberships with the American Bar Association. National Bar Association. Tennessee Bar Association. Southern Christian Leadership Conference. the Tennessee Council on Human Relations. and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Inc. After passing the Tennessee Bar. he established his own law practice. Dr. Hooks served as a distinguished adjunct professor for the Political Science Department at the University of Memphis. In 1996. the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change was established at the University of Memphis. The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute is a public policy research center supporting the urban research mission. and honoring Hooks many years of leadership in the American Civil Rights Movement. The Hooks Institute also emphasizes social movements. race relations. strong communities. public education. effective public participation. and social and economic justice. Dr. Hooks was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1956. and he preached regularly at the Greater Middle Baptist Church in Memphis. He joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference along with Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. Dr. Hooks became a pioneer of NAACPsponsored restaurant sitins and other boycotts of consumer items and services. In 1965. Dr. Hooks was appointed by Governor Frank G. Clement as the first African American criminal court judge in the Shelby Criminal Court. In 1966. he would later campaign for and win a full term to the same judicial office that he had been appointed to due to a vacancy. In 1972. President Richard Nixon appointed Dr. Hooks to be one of the five commissioners to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). As a member. he addressed the lack of minority ownership of television and radio stations. the minority employment statistics for the broadcasting industry. and the image of African Americans in mass media. Dr. Hooks served as a producer and host for several local television shows in Memphis. Dr. Hooks honors and awards include the NAACP Spingarn Medal for outstanding achievements made by an African American. receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in November of 2007. and he was inducted into the International Civil Rights Hall of Fame at the Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. National Historic Site on January 12. 2008. The Memphis Library Branch is also named in his honor. The NAACP later created the Benjamin L. Hooks Distinguished Service Award. which is awarded to persons for their efforts in implementing policies and programs which promote equal opportunity. So it is with great pride and admiration that we honor Dr. Benjamin Lawson Hooks as a great civil rights leader. and as a successful businessman. judge. lawyer. and minister. He has fought triumphantly for the rights of African Americans and made great contributions to the African American community.