Whereas Benjamin Hooks was born in Memphis, Tennessee on
January 31, 1925;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks died April 15, 2010, at the age of
85 in Memphis, Tennessee, and is survived by his wife, Frances Hooks, his
daughter, Patricia Gray, and 2 grandsons;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks was the fifth of 7 children born to
Robert B. and Bessie Hooks, and was the grandson of Julia Hooks, the second
Black woman in the United States to graduate from college;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks attended LeMoyne-Owen College in
Memphis and, in 1944, graduated from Howard University;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks joined the United States Army
during World War II and was promoted to staff sergeant;
Whereas in 1948, Benjamin Hooks received his law degree
from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois and returned to Memphis, Tennessee
to help breakdown segregation;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks set up his own law practice and was
one of a few Blacks practicing law in Memphis from 1949–1965;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks was appointed to a vacancy on the
Shelby County criminal court, by Governor Frank G. Clement in 1965, making him
the first Black criminal court judge in the history of Tennessee;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks was a leader in the civil rights
movement and joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Reverend
Martin Luther King in 1956;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks became the first Black appointee to
the Federal Communications Commission in 1972, when he was appointed by
President Richard Nixon, and, in that capacity, worked towards minority
employment and involvement in broadcasting;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks was elected executive director of
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on
November 6, 1976, and served in that role until 1992;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks was an ordained minister and
delivered sermons for 52 years at the Greater Middle Baptist Church and as
pastor at Greater New Mountain Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in
Detroit;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks was honored in 1996 with the
dedication of the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the
University of Memphis, which he helped to create;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks and Francis Hooks renewed their
wedding vows on March 24, 2001, after almost 50 years of marriage;
Whereas in November 2007, Benjamin Hooks was awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States,
by President George W. Bush; and
Whereas the passing of Benjamin Hooks is a great loss:
Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)recognizes the
outstanding contributions of Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks to the civil rights
movement, the ministry, his family, and the community of Memphis, Tennessee;
and
(2)pays tribute to
Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks, his passion for life, dedication to service, and
commitment to equality.