Honoring the life and achievements of Rev. Benjamin Lawson Hooks.

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.

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.

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.

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

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. 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.

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. 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.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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.

Madam Speaker, I was not present for the following roll call votes. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows:

On rollcall No. 454, on H. Con. Res. 292, Supporting the goals and ideals of National

Aerospace Week, and for other purposes, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 450, on H. Res. 1219, Expressing support for designation of September as National Child Awareness Month, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 449, on H. Con. Res. 126, Recognizing the 50th anniversary of Title VI international education programs within the Department of Education, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 448, on H. Res. 1472, Expressing support for designation of the week of September 13, 2010, as National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 372, on H.R. 5297, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 293, on H.R. 5330, To Amend the Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act of 2004 to Extend the Operation of Such Act for a 5-Year Period Ending June 22, 2015, and for Other Purposes, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 292, H.R. 1017, Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 291, H. Con. Res. 278, Expressing the Sense of Congress That a Grateful Nation Supports and Salutes Sons and Daughters in Touch on Its 20th Anniversary That is Being Held on Father's Day, 2010, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, the District of Columbia, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 213, H. Res. 1271, Honoring the Life and Achievements of Rev. Benjamin Lawson Hooks, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 212, H. Res. 1257, Supporting the Goals and Ideals of National Financial Literacy Month, 2010, and for Other Purposes, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 172, H. Res. 1205, Providing for Consideration of the Bill (H.R. 4849) to Amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to Provide Tax Incentives for Small Business Job Creation, Extend the Build America Bonds Program, Provide Other Infrastructure Job Creation Tax Incentives, and for Other Purposes (On Ordering the Previous Question), I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 153, On Approving the Journal, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 84, H. Res. 699, Expressing the Appreciation of Congress for the Service and Sacrifice of the Members of the 139th Airlift Wing, Air National Guard, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 50, H.R. 4238, To Designate the Facility of the United States Postal Service Located at 930 39th Avenue in Greeley, Colorado, As the ``W.D. Farr Post Office Building'', I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 49, H.R. 4425, To Designate the Facility of the United States Postal Service Located at 2-116th Street in North Troy, New York, As the ``Martin G. `Marty' Mahar Post Office'', I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 19, H. Res. 1003, Expressing Support for the Designation of January 10, 2010, Through January 16, 2010, As National Influenza Vaccination Week, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 18, H. Res. 1011, Recognizing the Importance of Cervical Health and of Detecting Cervical Cancer During Its Earliest Stages and Supporting the Goals and Ideals of Cervical Health Awareness Month, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 17, H. Res. 990, Expressing Support for Designation of January 2010 As ``National Mentoring Month'', I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 5, H.R. 3892, To Designate the Facility of the United States Postal Service Located at 101 West Highway 64 Bypass in Roper, North Carolina, As the ``E.V. Wilkins Post Office'', I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 858, H. Res. 868, Honoring and Recognizing the Service and Achievements of Current and Former Female Members of the Armed Forces, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 381, H.R. 2847, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 109, H.J. Res. 38, Making Further Continuing Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2009, and for Other Purposes, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 108, H.J. Res. 38, Making Further Continuing Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2009, and for Other Purposes, I would have voted ``no.''

On rollcall No. 107, On Approving the Journal, I would have voted ``aye.''

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

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.

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

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.