The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at The University of Memphis has been established to further the advancement of race relations and to keep the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement alive.
Established by the Political Science department of The University, the institute is dedicated to pursuing the agenda of research and outreach that builds on Dr. Hooks’ life long work of achieving more than just a society.
Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks, a Memphis native, has dedicated his life to eliminating racial injustice and uniting society, focusing on the common thread of humanity shared by all.
Hooks, an ordained Baptist minister, also practices law and is the former executive director of the National Association for the Advancement for Colored People.
He also worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Southern Christian Leadership Coalition.
During the Civil Rights Movement, Hooks and King worked side by side to gain equal opportunities for blacks as well as other ethnic minorities.
In addition to raising the level of consciousness in the community, the institute is also committed to advancing the goals of American Civil Rights Movement.
The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change is entrusted with more than 300 boxes of personal and professional papers donated by Hooks himself. Projects directed by the institute include the Archives Project, Civil Rights Movement in the Schools, Hooks Symposia and Lecture Series, Working and Occasional Papers Series and The Memoirs Project.
The institute, along with the National Civil Rights Museum, makes Memphis a major research site for the Civil Rights Movement and Hooks’ legacy.
