[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 56 (Tuesday, April 20, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H2659-H2664]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF REV. BENJAMIN LAWSON HOOKS

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 1271) honoring the life and achievements of Rev. 
Benjamin Lawson Hooks.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1271

       Whereas Benjamin Lawson Hooks, a native Memphian, was the 
     fifth out of seven children born to Robert B. and Bessie 
     Hooks;
       Whereas his grandmother, Julia Britton Hooks, was the 
     second African-American female college graduate in the 
     Nation, graduating from Berea College in Kentucky in 1874;
       Whereas Dr. Hooks studied prelaw at LeMoyne College in 
     Memphis and continued his studies at Howard University in 
     Washington, DC, and at Depaul University Law School in 
     Chicago, Illionois;
       Whereas Dr. Hooks was a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity;
       Whereas after college, he then served in the United States 
     Army during World War II and had the job of guarding Italian 
     prisoners who were able to eat in restaurants that were off 
     limits to him, an experience that he found humiliating and 
     that deepened his determination to do something about bigotry 
     in the South;
       Whereas in 1949, Dr. Hooks met teacher Frances Dancy and 
     the couple married in 1952;
       Whereas the couple had a daughter, Patricia Gray;
       Whereas from 1949 to 1965 he was one of the few African-
     Americans practicing law in Memphis, Tennessee;
       Whereas in 1954, Dr. Hooks served on a roundtable with 
     Thurgood Marshall and

[[Page H2660]]

     other Southern African-American attorneys to formulate a 
     possible litigation strategy days before the Supreme Court 
     decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was handed 
     down;
       Whereas Dr. Hooks served as assistant public defender of 
     Shelby County, Memphis, from 1961 to 1965;
       Whereas in 1965, he was appointed by Tennessee Governor 
     Frank G. Clement to serve as a criminal judge in Shelby 
     County becoming the first African-American criminal court 
     judge in the State of Tennessee;
       Whereas Dr. Hooks was also a Baptist minister who pastored 
     at the Greater Middle Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, 
     and the Greater New Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Detroit, 
     Michigan;
       Whereas he joined the Southern Christian Leadership 
     Conference of Reverend Martin Luther King in 1956;
       Whereas from 1972 to 1977, President Richard Nixon 
     appointed Rev. Hooks to the Federal Communications 
     Commission, making him the first African-American appointed 
     commissioner;
       Whereas from 1977 to 1992, Rev. Hooks was the Executive 
     Director and CEO of the National Association for the 
     Advancement of Colored People (NAACP);
       Whereas under his leadership, the NAACP fought for 
     affirmative action, led efforts to end apartheid in South 
     Africa, and addressed racism in sports and in the Rodney King 
     trial;
       Whereas Rev. Hooks was awarded the Spingarn Medal in 1986 
     from the NAACP;
       Whereas Dr. Hooks served as chairman of the board of 
     directors of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis;
       Whereas he taught at the University of Memphis, and the 
     Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change was established 
     at the University in 1996;
       Whereas on March 24, 2001, Rev. Hooks and his beautiful 
     wife Frances renewed their wedding vows for the third time, 
     after nearly 50 years of marriage;
       Whereas in 2002, Dr. Hooks founded the Children's Health 
     Forum to protect the most vulnerable children from 
     preventable disease;
       Whereas Dr. Hooks received the Presidential Medal of 
     Freedom from President George W. Bush at a White House 
     ceremony in November 2007;
       Whereas Rev. Hooks gave one of his last lectures on civil 
     rights and social justice as part of the premier lecture 
     series of the Benjamin Hooks Institute for Social Change in 
     the Judiciary Committee Room of the Rayburn House Office 
     Building in Washington, DC, on October 6, 2009;
       Whereas he was one of the greatest civil rights icons of 
     United States history and a community leader in Memphis; and
       Whereas Rev. Benjamin L. Hooks was one of the golden-
     throated warriors of the spoken word, and one of the few 
     silver-tongued giants of oratory: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors the life 
     and achievements of Dr. Benjamin Lawson Hooks, for his 
     commitment to justice on the bench in Memphis, Tennessee, for 
     his strong work with the National Association for the 
     Advancement of Colored People to formulate strategies for 
     eliminating barriers to civil rights, and for his leadership 
     in promoting equal opportunity for all.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.


                             General Leave

  Mr. COHEN. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 
legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. COHEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, with the news today of Dorothy Height's passing, we have 
now lost two significant civil rights leaders in less than 1 week. 
Today in Memphis, Memphians and others throughout the country will have 
the opportunity to pay respects to Reverend Benjamin Hooks during a 
viewing at Greater Middle Baptist Church where he pastored for 52 
years. Yesterday in Detroit, Michigan, Reverend Hooks was honored at 
Greater New Mount Moriah Baptist Church where he also pastored for some 
40 years in the Detroit area.
  A native Memphian, Reverend Hooks was one of the golden-throated 
warriors of the spoken word and one of the few silver-tongued giants of 
oratory. Dr. Hooks was born in 1925 and was the fifth of seven children 
born to Robert B. and Bessie Hooks.
  His grandmother, Julia B. Hooks, was the second African American 
female college graduate in the Nation after graduating from Berea 
College in Kentucky in 1874.
  Following in her footsteps, Dr. Hooks attended Le Moyne College in 
Memphis, where he studied pre-law. He continued to study at Howard 
University here in Washington, and later at DePaul University Law 
School in Chicago, Illinois, where he received a law degree. It was 
unfortunate that when he decided to go to law school, there was not a 
law school in Tennessee that accepted African Americans, and for that 
reason, Dr. Hooks traveled to Chicago.
  After graduation from college but before law school, he entered the 
Army during World War II, and he had a job guarding Italian prisoners. 
The prisoners were able to eat in restaurants that were off limits to 
him because he was African American. He found this experience to be 
humiliating, and it deepened his determination to do something about 
bigotry not just in the South but in our country, as our Armed Forces 
were segregated and our African American soldiers fighting for our 
freedoms were not allowed freedoms that prisoners of war enjoyed.
  Dr. Hooks returned to Memphis after being discharged from the war 
with the rank of staff sergeant. He began practicing law in Memphis in 
1949, one of the few African Americans practicing law in Memphis. In 
1954, he appeared on a roundtable with late Justice Thurgood Marshall 
and other southern African American attorneys to formulate a possible 
litigation strategy days before the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. 
Board of Education of Topeka was handed down, the landmark case that 
ended separate but equal and started the end of segregation in our 
Nation.
  Dr. Hooks served as assistant public defender of Shelby County from 
1961 to 1965, and in 1965, he was appointed by Governor Frank Clement 
to serve as criminal court judge in Shelby County. And he became the 
first African American criminal court judge in the State of Tennessee.
  In 1956, while serving in the Baptist ministry at Greater Middle 
Baptist Church in Memphis, he joined the Southern Christian Leadership 
Conference with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., about the time that Dr. 
King in Montgomery was starting the boycotts of the downtown stores in 
Montgomery and working with Rosa Parks and boycotting the busses, 
leading to the great civil rights uprisings and movement in the South 
that made our Nation a more perfect Union.

                              {time}  1500

  President Nixon appointed Dr. Hooks to the Federal Communications 
Commission in 1972, and he served from 1972 to 1977 and was the first 
African American appointed commissioner, and there he wanted to make 
sure that African Americans had the opportunity to have ownership 
interest in radio and television and other opportunities that they 
didn't previously have.
  In 1977 when he left the Federal Communications Commission, he did so 
to become executive director and the chief executive officer of the 
NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. 
In 1977, at that same time, Dr. Hooks' nephew, Michael Hooks, and I 
were serving on the Tennessee State Constitutional Convention, and we 
drafted a resolution to invite Dr. Hooks to address the Tennessee 
Constitutional Convention, limited convention, of 1977, the first 
African American ever asked to address the joint legislative body in 
the State of Tennessee.
  While Dr. Hooks served as executive director of the NAACP, he fought 
for affirmative action, led efforts to end apartheid in South Africa, 
and addressed racism in sports and dealt with the Rodney King trial in 
Los Angeles. He was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP, its 
highest honor.
  Reverend Hooks served as chairman of the board of directors of the 
National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, my hometown and his as well. 
He taught at the University of Memphis, where the Benjamin L. Hooks 
Institute for Social Change was established in his honor in 1976. He 
made a significant personal financial contribution to that particular 
institute and commented to me one time that it was appropriate and 
right and proper that when African Americans have been able to secure 
monies and savings that they make contributions to their society, and 
he was able to do that, a first generation of wealth that was able to 
contribute

[[Page H2661]]

to civic causes. And he was proud to be a leader in that cause as well.
  I was present in 2007 and honored to be in the White House when 
President Bush awarded Dr. Hooks the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
  Most recently he gave one of his last lectures on civil rights and 
social justice as part of the premier lecture series of the Benjamin L. 
Hooks Institute for Social Change of the University of Memphis here in 
our Judiciary Committee room in the Rayburn House Office Building. It 
was October 6, 2009. Several Members of Congress were present and other 
interested parties in D.C. and on the Hill, and he was accompanied on 
that occasion, as he was on so many occasions, by his beautiful and 
jovial bride, Frances.
  Frances Dancy was a teacher. She met Ben Hooks at a Shelby County 
fair. Ben Hooks was a lucky man because he found the perfect bride. 
Frances was by his side and gave up her career as a teacher. She gave 
up that career to be first lady of the church, whether it was Mount 
Moriah, Greater New Mount Moriah in Detroit or Greater Middle Baptist 
in Memphis, whether on Lamar or on Knight-Arnold.
  They were married in 1952. They renewed their vows for the third time 
after nearly 50 years of marriage on March 24, 2001. She has encouraged 
him in all of his endeavors, and she will see that his memory is 
maintained and preserved in an appropriate fashion.
  Dr. Hooks was one of the greatest civil rights icons in American 
history and a community leader in Memphis and a friend of many in this 
Congress. He is survived by his beautiful and devoted wife, Frances, 
his daughter Patricia Gray, grandchildren and a nephew, in particular 
Michael Hooks, who served in public office and a great grandnephew, 
Michael Hooks, who also served in a public office.
  His funeral will be tomorrow in Memphis, Tennessee, at Bountiful 
Blessings, the flagship Church of God in Christ in Memphis, 
Superintendent Hawkins presides. His was a life well lived.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. POE of Texas. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to commend Chairman Conyers and Ranking Member 
Smith for so quickly sponsoring this resolution and bringing it to the 
House floor.
  I support House Resolution 1271, and this resolution honors the life 
and achievements of Dr. Benjamin Lawson Hooks for his commitment to 
justice and his work with the NAACP to eliminate barriers to civil 
rights and his leadership in promoting equal opportunity for everybody.
  He was born in Memphis in 1925. His family inspired him to study 
diligently in school and go to college, from which he graduated in 
1944. After service in the United States Army, he went to law school at 
DePaul University. He graduated in 1948 and went back home to Memphis, 
Tennessee.
  From 1949 to 1965 he was one of a handful of African Americans 
practicing law in Memphis. In his law practice, Dr. Hooks was 
determined to combat segregation. Days before the United States Supreme 
Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, Dr. Hooks joined 
Thurgood Marshall and other attorneys at a roundtable to consider 
litigation strategies to challenge Jim Crow laws. Dr. Hooks was a 
pioneer in restaurant sit-ins and other boycotts sponsored by the 
NAACP. Throughout the 1960s he worked with the NAACP on several civil 
rights protests and marches throughout the United States.
  Throughout this time period, however, Dr. Hooks fulfilled a long 
desire and he entered the Christian ministry. In 1956, he was an 
ordained Baptist minister and preached regularly and contributed in 
many ways to churches which he served. It was his ministry and his law 
degree working together that gave him the deep conviction to fight for 
civil rights.
  This deeper yearning surely influenced the power and scope of all of 
his civil rights work. He ran unsuccessfully for the State legislature 
in 1954; and as a juvenile court judge in 1959 and 1963, he became 
well-known in Tennessee politics and the Governor tapped him to fill a 
vacancy in Shelby County criminal court, and in 1965 he became the 
first African American in criminal court as a criminal court judge in 
the State of Tennessee.
  When President Nixon appointed him to the Federal Communications 
Commission in 1972 through 1977, he was also the first African American 
appointed to the FCC. And from 1972 to 1992, 20 years, he served as 
executive director for and CEO of the National Association for the 
Advancement of Colored People.
  Then in 2007, in recognition of his life's work and commitment to the 
ideal that all people are created equal, Dr. Hooks received the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to comment, I appreciate 
Representative Poe's comments. He was a former criminal court judge and 
like Judge Hooks was a criminal court judge, they share that 
experience.
  I keep under the glass on my desk a picture that was taken of 
Benjamin Hooks as a lawyer with Russell Sugarman, A.W. Willis, I 
believe it was A.A. Latting and S.A. Wilbun, and appearing in city 
court in Memphis and defending individuals in Memphis charged with the 
violations of the law that were Jim Crow laws. It's a historic picture 
that people in Memphis know well; they stood up in a courtroom with 
just about a predominance of policemen around there and white visitors 
in the courtroom, but they stood for justice and they stood up.
  Leaders in Memphis like Maxine Smith and Russell Sugarman are getting 
older, but they continue the fight as Reverend Hooks has. He had a 
difficult last few days, but he knew his time had come and he was at 
peace. He tried to make it to the inaugural to see the inauguration of 
the first African American President, Barack Obama. He was here. I 
think the weather was such and the conditions that he wasn't able to 
make it to the inauguration, but he made a point of coming in here and 
wanted to participate.
  He was bipartisan. He came of an era when many African Americans in 
the South, if not most, were members of the Republican Party, the party 
of Lincoln. And he maintained a Republican allegiance through his 
appointments by President Nixon and a closeness to Senator Baker and 
others, but also had Democratic roots.
  President Bush recognized his talents, as has President Obama and 
President Clinton. He supported Hillary Clinton for President because 
he had been close to the Clinton family. But he was happy to see 
America come to the time when an African American could be elected 
President, as Dr. King had wanted that time to come, that people were 
judged by the content of their character and not the color of their 
skin. We saw part of that resolution in 2008, and Ben Hooks was pleased 
to be able to see it.
  As I said, he will be buried tomorrow at Bountiful Blessings where 
G.E. Patterson served as bishop of COGIC, and I know there will be many 
other people from around the world there to honor him.
  I would like to thank my friend John Conyers, the chairman of the 
Judiciary Committee, who worked with me on this resolution and is 
unfortunately absent because of other commitments. He was close to 
Reverend Hooks in Detroit and other places fighting for civil rights 
over the years. I would also like to commend the ranking member of the 
Judiciary Committee, Lamar Smith, for joining me in cosponsoring this 
resolution.
  I yield as much time as he may consume to Chairman Towns of New York.
  Mr. TOWNS. Let me thank the gentleman from Memphis for yielding to 
me, because I had an opportunity to work very closely with Dr. Hooks. I 
recall we moved the NAACP to Brooklyn, and he was the president of 
NAACP at the time we moved them to Brooklyn. I was always impressed 
with his dedication and commitment to people.
  Dr. Hooks was really committed to change in a positive way; and, of 
course, having the opportunity to work very closely with him, I had the 
opportunity to observe him as he moved with people. He had just a way 
of bringing about coalitions where people would disagree with each 
other, but Dr. Hooks could pull them together and some way or another 
get them to begin to talk and work together. He is going to be truly 
missed. He was a person

[[Page H2662]]

that has truly made a difference in this world as a result of his 
attitude and what he has done on behalf of the people.
  So may I say to his family, you have my deepest, deepest sympathy; 
but, here again, we can be thankful that we had an opportunity to live 
during Dr. Hooks' lifetime. There is no question about it, he made this 
world a better place for all of us to live.
  Mr. COHEN. I thank the gentleman for joining and relating those parts 
of Dr. Hooks' life.
  He was, as I said, a great orator who took the Southern tradition of 
politics and the ministry and wove it into a manner of speech that was 
unrivaled and to his last days could deliver a sermon or a speech that 
was unparalleled. He will be buried tomorrow at Elmwood Cemetery, where 
my father is buried and where I suspect I will be buried, and we will 
spend eternity together.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, this resolution honors the life and 
achievements of my dear friend, the late Dr. Benjamin Lawson Hooks.
  With Dr. Hooks's passing last week, our nation lost a champion for 
justice and an iconic figure of the Civil Rights Movement.
  Personally, I will never forget the genuine spirit and talent Dr. 
Hooks had in inspiring every individual he encountered. This spirit of 
Dr. Hooks is what we celebrate today.
  In addition to being a dedicated civil rights advocate, Dr. Hooks was 
an accomplished attorney and judge, a government servant, and a 
respected Minister of the Gospel.
  He served as the Executive Director of the NAACP for fifteen years. 
He was also the first African-American appointed as Commissioner of the 
Federal Communications Commission, and the first African-American 
criminal court judge in Tennessee.
  Dr. Hooks was the founder of the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for 
Social Change at the University of Memphis. He also founded the 
Children's Health Forum in 2002.
  And the list of his accomplishments goes on.
  Today, I would like to touch on three significant points.
  First, Dr. Hooks's leadership in the Civil Rights Movement was shaped 
by his firm belief that education and non-violent activism could lift 
the oppressed.
  He once said: ``There are a lot of ways an oppressed people can rise. 
One way to rise is to study, to be smarter than your oppressor. The 
concept of rising against oppression through physical contact is stupid 
and self-defeating . . . the most enduring contributions made to 
civilization have not been made by brawn, they have been made by 
brain.''
  Dr. Hooks's own life was a testament to the power of education to 
overcome racism and oppression. He studied pre-law at Lemoyne-Owen 
College in Memphis, TN. While in college, Dr. Hooks was required to use 
segregated lunch counters, water fountains, and restrooms.
  But he was not deterred by these daily reminders of inequality--he 
finished his college education, and joined the U.S. Army in 1944.
  Even in the Army, Dr. Hooks was subjected to discrimination--he found 
that prisoners of war were often given better eating accommodations 
than African-American soldiers.
  Dr. Hooks's pursuit of a legal education was also full of obstacles, 
because no law school in his native State of Tennessee would admit him.
  However, he persevered, and obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from 
DePaul University College of Law in Illinois.
  And he pledged to use his hard-earned legal education to further the 
Civil Rights Movement.
  On my second point, Dr. Hooks's life's work resulted in the 
acceleration of significant changes towards equality in America.
  It has been written that ``Often in the past, Benjamin Hooks's words 
have been heeded by his fellow Americans and have been turned into 
national policies that have benefitted the whole society.''
  The Civil Rights Movement is woven from the work of many people who 
have tirelessly campaigned to end discrimination and racism in all its 
forms.
  Dr. Hooks was a central thread in the patchwork of great civil rights 
leaders. His leadership in NAACP sit-ins and boycotts helped further 
the cause through non-violence.
  And he applied his hard-earned education in his work with Thurgood 
Marshall and members of the Regional Council of Negro Leadership to 
create strategies in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown 
v. Board of Education.
  It is with great pride that I remember Dr. Hooks's fifteen years of 
leadership with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
People (NAACP). I attribute the success and the turn-around of the 
NAACP to my friend, Dr. Hooks.
  His tailored focus on empowering black Americans, and his call to all 
Americans to continue pressing for equality, helped the NAACP combat 
racism, fight apartheid, and defend affirmative action.
  Finally, I would like to celebrate my dear friend's commitment to 
public service, and to lifting up people from all walks of life.
  Dr. Hooks never strayed from his focus on securing equality for all 
Americans.
  In 1972, he became the first African-American to be appointed to the 
Federal Communications Commission. He used his tenure in this 
distinguished government position to actively promote the employment of 
African-Americans and other minorities in the broadcast industry.
  Dr. Hooks saw his own success as an opportunity to help further the 
cause of equality and justice. He once said, ``Black men who have 
succeeded have an obligation to serve as role models for young men 
entrapped by a vicious cycle of poverty, despair, and hopelessness.''
  I would like to commend my colleagues for their sponsorship of this 
resolution.
  In particular, I would like to thank my good friend from Memphis, 
Tennessee, Steve Cohen, for working with me on this important 
resolution.
  I would also like to commend the Ranking Member of the Judiciary 
Committee, Lamar Smith, for joining me in co-sponsoring it.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, rise today to express my strong 
support for H. Res. 1271, honoring the life and achievements of Dr. 
Benjamin Lawson Hooks. I would also like to commend the Chairman of the 
Judiciary Committee, John Conyers Jr., and Chairman Steve Cohen, the 
sponsors of this resolution, for their commitment to preserving the 
accomplishments of Dr. Hooks.
  Dr. Hooks had a legendary career and truly exemplifies the 
quintessential renaissance man. He was an inspirational speaker, 
defender of minorities and the poor, and a well-known director of the 
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Dr. 
Hooks was a lawyer and a Baptist minister best known for boosting 
membership in the NAACP and making it relevant in today's political 
times. After a lifetime of advocacy for the oppressed, he was awarded 
the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007.
  Dr. Hooks was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and took pre-law courses in 
his home town from LeMoyne College; after graduating in 1944 he joined 
the Army. During the Second World War, Hooks found himself in the 
position of guarding Italian prisoners who were allowed to eat in 
restaurants that were off limits to him. The experience helped to 
deepen his resolve to do something about bigotry in the South. After 
his wartime service, he was promoted to the rank of staff sergeant. 
Hooks went north to Chicago to study law at DePaul University because 
no law school in Tennessee would admit him. He completed his Juris 
Doctor Degree in 1948. Upon graduation, Hooks went into private 
practice in Memphis from 1949-1965. While in private practice he became 
an ordained Baptist minister in 1956 and began to preach regularly at 
the Middle Baptist Church in Memphis, while continuing his busy law 
practice. He served as a public defender in Shelby County. From 1964 to 
1968 he was a county criminal judge. Benjamin Lawson Hooks was 
nominated as a member to the Federal Communications Commission by 
President Richard M. Nixon in 1972. Shortly thereafter the United 
States Senate confirmed the nomination, and thus Mr. Hooks became the 
first African American to be appointed to the Commission. He served as 
a member of the Federal Communications Commission until 27 July 1977.
  During his term on the Commission, Hooks actively promoted the 
employment of African Americans and other minorities in the broadcast 
industry as well as at the Federal Communications Commission offices. 
He also encouraged minority ownership of broadcast properties. Hooks 
supported the Equal Time provision and the Fairness Doctrine, both of 
which he believed were among the few avenues available to minorities 
for gaining access to the broadcast media.
  The nomination and confirmation of Hooks to the Federal 
Communications Commission represented the efforts by African American 
organizations such as Black Efforts for Soul on Television to have an 
African American appointed to one of the seven seats on the Commission. 
Before Hooks' appointment there had been no minority representation on 
the Commission and only two women, Frieda Henncock and Charlotte Reid, 
had been appointed up to that time. Additionally, for 15 years Hooks 
presided over America's largest and most influential organization for 
blacks, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
  Dr. Hooks once said ``A good history covers not only what was done, 
but the thought that

[[Page H2663]]

went into the action. You can read the history of a country through its 
actions.'' Dr. Hooks would be proud on this day. Today, the United 
States House of Representatives recognizes his travail and hard work 
through the years. History will judge us by our actions.
  As a member of the Judiciary, Subcommittee Chairman on Courts and 
Competition Policy, and a former judge myself, I recognize the 
importance of leaders such as Dr. Benjamin Lawson Hooks. I am proud to 
be a legacy of Dr. Hooks' work. He symbolized the epitome of what 
lawyers and judges strive to be, the character that all of us should 
strive to show. Please join me and support this resolution to honor Dr. 
Benjamin Lawson Hooks.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1271, 
which remembers Rev. Benjamin Hooks, who passed away last Thursday at 
the age of 85, and honors this heroic figure's life and achievements. 
This important measure is a deserving tribute to Rev. Hooks, a true 
champion of justice and equality. Rev. Hooks fought tirelessly for 
civil rights and, in doing so, made our country a better place for all 
Americans.
  Rev. Benjamin Hooks was a critical figure in the fight for civil 
rights in the United States. He fought segregation through his many 
successful careers as a businessman, lawyer, judge, minister, and 
public servant. Rev. Hooks was the first African-American criminal 
court judge in Tennessee and the first African-American commissioner of 
the Federal Communications Commission.
  Rev. Benjamin Hooks is most well known for his work with the National 
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Rev. Hooks 
was a pioneer of the NAACP-sponsored restaurant sit-ins and boycotts in 
the early years of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1976, the NAACP 
elected Rev. Hooks as the executive director of the organization. Rev. 
Hooks reenergized the NAACP, increased its enrollment dramatically, and 
enhanced the group's effectiveness. At a time when the Civil Rights 
Movement was widely considered to have ended, Rev. Hooks recognized 
that much work was left to be done and recommitted the NAACP to 
tirelessly fighting for the rights of disadvantaged communities across 
the United States. Rev. Hooks guided the NAACP through decades of 
activism and oversaw the constant modernization and adaptation of the 
organization to respond to the new challenges of changing times.
  Rev. Benjamin Hooks was a giant in the fight for civil rights in 
America over the last 60 years. Even as he and his family were targeted 
in bombings against civil rights leaders in the 1990s, his resolve and 
commitment to an equitable society never faltered. In characteristic 
modesty, Rev. Hooks often referred to himself as ``just a poor little 
old country preacher,'' but the truth is that he was much more than 
that. He left an indelible mark on American society and helped improve 
the lives of countless Americans. Rev. Hooks was honored for his life 
of service with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which President 
George W. Bush presented to him in 2007.
  I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Rev. 
Benjamin Hooks as they grieve the loss of this truly special 
individual. Rest in peace, Rev. Hooks--``there is a balm in Gilead.''
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great lion, a leader, 
one of the golden throated warriors of the spoken word and one of the 
few silver tongued giants of oratory, and a great civil rights icon, 
Benjamin Hooks. He passed away in Memphis, Tennessee, on Thursday, 
April 15, 2010. Dr. Hooks was the fifth child out of seven born to 
Robert and Bessie Hooks. His grandmother, Julia B. Hooks was the second 
African-American female college graduate in the nation after graduating 
from Berea College in Kentucky in 1874. Following in her footsteps, Dr. 
Hooks attended LeMoyne College in Memphis where he studied pre-law. He 
continued his studies at Howard University in Washington, D.C. and at 
DePaul University Law School in Chicago, Illinois. He was a member of 
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
  After graduating from college, Dr. Hooks served in the Army during 
World War II and had the job of guarding Italian prisoners who were 
able to eat in restaurants that were off limits to him. He found this 
experience to be humiliating and it deepened his determination to do 
something about bigotry in the South. Dr. Hooks returned to Memphis 
after being discharged at the end of the war with the rank of staff 
sergeant.
  Dr. Hooks began practicing law in 1949 becoming one of the few 
African-Americans to practice in Memphis. In 1954, he appeared on a 
roundtable with Thurgood Marshall and other Southern African-American 
attorneys to formulate a possible litigation strategy days before the 
Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka was 
handed down. Dr. Hooks served as assistant public defender of Shelby 
County from 1961-1965 until being appointed by Tennessee Governor Frank 
G. Clement to serve as a criminal judge in Shelby County, Memphis--
becoming the first African-American criminal court judge in the State 
of Tennessee.
  Rev. Benjamin Hooks was also the pastor at Greater Middle Baptist 
Church in Memphis and Greater New Mount Moriah Baptist Church in 
Detroit, Michigan. In 1956, while serving in the Baptist ministry, he 
joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr.
  President Richard Nixon appointed Dr. Hooks to the Federal 
Communications Commission, making him the first African-American 
appointed commissioner. He served in this position from 1972 to 1977. 
From 1977 to 1992, Dr. Hooks was the Executive Director and CEO of the 
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). 
Under his leadership, the NAACP fought for affirmative action, led 
efforts to end apartheid in South Africa and addressed racism in sports 
and the Rodney King trial. He was awarded the Spingarn Medal in 1986 
from the NAACP.
  Rev. Hooks served as chairman of the board of directors of the 
National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. He also taught at the 
University of Memphis where the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social 
Change was established in 1996.
  Dr. Benjamin Hooks was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from 
President George W. Bush at a White House ceremony in November 2007. 
Most recently, he gave one of his last lectures on civil rights and 
social justice as part of the premier lecture series of the Benjamin 
Hooks Institute for Social Change in the Judiciary Committee Room of 
the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, on October 6, 
2009.
  Always by his side was his beautiful and jovial wife, Frances. They 
were married in 1952 and renewed their vows for the third time after 
nearly 50 years of marriage on March 24, 2001.
  Dr. Benjamin Hooks was one of the greatest civil rights icons in 
American history and a community leader in Memphis. His commitment to 
justice on the bench in Memphis, his strong work with the NAACP to 
formulate strategies for eliminating barriers to civil rights and his 
leadership in promoting equal opportunity for all will always be 
remembered by the countless number of lives he touched. Rev. Benjamin 
L. Hooks is survived by his devoted wife Frances, daughter Patricia 
Gray, grandchildren and nephew Michael Hooks. His was a life well 
lived. Thank you for coming our way, Benjamin Hooks.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of 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 
bachelor's 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 NAACP-sponsored 
restaurant sit-ins 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

[[Page H2664]]

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.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life 
and the legacy of Rev. Benjamin Lawson Hooks, who passed away April 15, 
2010, at the age of 85. Rev. Hooks was more than just an accomplished 
man; he was a modern-day pioneer who overcame modern-day struggles. No 
matter the obstacle, Rev. Hooks continued to fight for equal rights, 
always believing that tomorrow will be better.
  In fact, Rev. Hooks was often quoted as saying, ``you have to believe 
that tomorrow somehow can be, and will be, better than today.'' His 
mission in life was to make this belief a reality. As the first 
African-American commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, 
a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Tennessee's 
first African-American criminal court judge, and, finally, as the 
Executive Director of the National Association for the Advancement of 
Colored People (NAACP) from 1977 to 1992, Rev. Hooks worked tirelessly 
to make America a fairer, and more just, nation.
  Under his leadership of the NAACP, he brought this storied civil 
rights organization from the brink of financial collapse. Rev. Hooks 
returned it to stability, increased membership, and created programs 
such as the NAACP ACT-SO (Academic, Cultural, Technological and 
Scientific Olympics) competitions, a major youth talent and skill 
initiative, and Women in the NAACP.
  Rev. Hooks also was a stalwart in the face of adversity. In 1989, 
there were several gasoline bomb attacks in the South, resulting in the 
murder of a federal judge in Alabama and an African-American civil 
rights lawyer in Georgia. NAACP leaders were threatened with violence 
as well. Rev. Hooks responded to these acts of violence by saying, ``We 
believe that this latest incident is an effort to intimidate our 
association, to strike fear in our hearts. It will not succeed.''
  This remarkable American lived a life of honor and purpose, leaving 
behind a legacy of equality and justice. Our nation is so much better 
for his dedication to the idea that ``all men are created equal.'' Rev. 
Hooks is an inspirational figure to us all, and we must continue to 
strive to ensure that tomorrow will continue to be better than today.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
strong support of H.R. 1271 to honor the life and achievements of Dr. 
Benjamin Lawson Hooks who passed away on April 15, 2010. Dr. Hooks 
served as the Executive Director of the National Association for the 
Advancement of Colored People, and wads a great civil rights leader.
  Born in Memphis, Tennessee as the fifth of seven children, Dr. Hooks 
faced numerous racial barriers growing up in the segregated South. He 
graduated from Howard University in 1944, and after serving in the army 
during World War II, he completed a law degree from DePaul University 
in 1948. Upon graduation, he returned to Memphis where he opened his 
own law practice. Although faced with relentless discrimination in the 
legal field, Dr. Hooks managed to make a reputation for himself. In 
1965 he was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Shelby County criminal 
court making him the first black criminal court judge in Tennessee 
history. Later, in 1972, he became the first African-American member of 
the Federal Communications Commission where he developed a reputation 
as a champion for minority owned television and radio stations.
  In 1976, Dr. Hooks became the Executive Director of the National 
Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples. His tenure saw an 
increase in membership and revenue, and additionally, he was 
influential in the national recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
  Mr. Speaker, Dr. Benjamin Hooks was an unyielding advocate for 
African-American civil rights, and he will be greatly missed. I ask my 
fellow colleagues to join me today in recognizing this remarkable 
leader who worked diligently for the black community and was a stalwart 
champion of fairness and equality for all.
  Mr. COHEN. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1271.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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