The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis marked its 30th anniversary with a celebratory gala that brought together civil rights veterans, community leaders, scholars and elected officials to reflect its legacy of advocacy and to chart a course for the work ahead.
In addition to celebrating its milestone, the evening also shone a light on four “Pillars of Progress,” who represent their namesake’s ideals and strive for justice in their own corners of Memphis and the world. The evening’s awardees included the Honorable Johnnie Taylor, Joycelyn Wurzburg, The Brooks Museum and the Tri-State Defender.
The evening opened with a rendition of “Total Praise” by the late Richard Smallwood, performed by a string quartet, rhythm section and an ensemble of singers. A video tribute, the first of several throughout the night, to the institute’s namesake, the late Rev. Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks, civil rights icon, former NAACP executive director and Memphis native, would follow.
“You all look gorgeous,” said Michael Hooks, Jr., echoing the words his uncle would often say. “That’s what Dr. Hooks would say.” He also shared that his late aunt and uncle would quickly deem anyone in their presence as family, and thanked his wife, Judge Kenya Hooks, for representing their family by serving on the Hooks Institute board.
Born in 1925, Benjamin L. Hooks was denied access to equal education to whites, and rather than accept it, he spent his life challenging it for generations to come. That legacy is what the institute was built to carry forward.
Jesse Turner, chairman of the institute’s advisory board, set the tone early, reminding the audience that the organization was founded with a clear and ambitious charge: to preserve the history of the Civil Rights Movement and to finish its unfinished work.
“That takes 30 years of belief,” Turner said.
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) echoed that sentiment, crediting the Hooks family and institute with playing a significant role in his political career. “They supported me,” Cohen said. “They were a large part of all my successes and I’m grateful for them.”
Reginald Boyce, director of community affairs for the City of Memphis and pastor of Riverside M.B. Church, called the institute’s milestone more than a number. “That’s a movement,” he said. “That’s a voice that refuses to go silent,” he said, underscoring the 30 years of impact, advocacy and unwavering commitment to justice. “The next 30 years will require even more courage, collaboration and conviction,” Boyce added.
Hooks Institute’s executive director, Daphene McFerren, who joined the institute in 2008 after practicing law at the U.S. Department of Justice, outlined the scope of the institute’s research impact. Among its accomplishments: Policy papers that have influenced work around poverty, voter registration and health disparities; a breast cancer study examining outcomes in underserved urban communities; documentaries and a digitization project preserving Civil Rights-era documents, including materials tied to Fayette County’s Tent City, now held in the Library of Congress.
Daniel Kiel, scholar and professor at UofM’s Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, highlighted one of the institute’s most visible community-based projects, The Memphis 13, led by him and seeded by the Institute. The project which honors the 13 Black children who integrated Memphis City Schools. New murals honoring the historic moment now appear in the schools.
The program also recognized the Institute’s arts and education programming. Sixteen authors have received the Frances “Fanny” Hooks Book Award, which centers on literature connected to the Civil Rights Movement. Student participants in the Institute’s academic support and career readiness program, known as HAAMI, were also celebrated.
Anthony Norris, chief development officer of the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South, joined McFerren in presenting the story of Splash Mid-South, a partnership born in 2008 following a Memphis tragedy in which two young lives were lost to drowning. The initiative has since taught thousands of children to swim, with many of those former students now serving as coaches and lifeguards.
“Turning ideas into impact, and communities into change,” Norris said, is what it’s all about.
McFerren said, “We are proud of the community, intellectual discussions and look forward to having more in the future.”
The evening’s honorees included Johnnie Turner, whose decades of activism, from NAACP organizing to the Tennessee House of Representatives, reflect the very mission the Institute was built to advance. Turner pushed for legislation addressing unsolved cold cases from the Civil Rights Era. “I don’t know when I’ve had feelings like I’ve had at this very moment,” she told the audience, visibly moved. “No matter the challenge before us, we can overcome.”
Honoree Joycelyn Wurzburg helped establish some of the region’s first anti-discrimination legal protections through the Memphis Panel of American Women. “Our granddaughters should not have to fight the same issues their grandmothers already won,” Wurzburg said.
Both honorees were frank about the moment the nation finds itself in. With the Tennessee Human Rights Commission eliminated last summer and ongoing rollbacks of civil rights protections, the night carried an undercurrent of urgency alongside the celebration.
McFerren, who was fortunate to work with the Hookses two years before their deaths, framed the road ahead clearly. “The struggle is a never-ending process,” she said.
Board member Javonte Cortez closed the formal program with a charge to the audience — sustained commitment, collaboration and courage — before the room rose to the sounds of “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now.”
Sponsorship support for the anniversary gala was provided by Truist Financial Corporation and Bank3.
