Farewell to a Civil Rights icon.

April 15, 2010 8:24 AM

Dr. Benjamin Hooks, Whose Moral Leadership Bridged Populations, Dies at 85. Dr. Hooks was the first African-American judge in the South since Reconstruction, the first African-American appointed to the board of the FCC, and executive director of the NAACP from 1977 to 1992.

He worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement, and on the night of Dr. Kings assassination he “spent much of the night, with a police pass, moving throughout the city and calling for nonviolence." A recipient of the National Civil Rights Museum's Freedom Award, he was a calming influence on the tone of racial discourse here in Memphis and across the nation. He will sorely missed. Rest In Peace, Dr. Benjamin Hooks.

posted by JeffK (12 comments total)

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posted by cashman at 8:46 AM on April 15, 2010

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posted by yeloson at 8:50 AM on April 15, 2010

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posted by ardgedee at 8:50 AM on April 15, 2010

The man was a great hero. I did not know him personally, but I am privileged to be friends with some members of his family, and they are all fine people. My thoughts are with them today.

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posted by vibrotronica at 8:57 AM on April 15, 2010

Rest in peace, to a good man.
posted by etaoin at 9:13 AM on April 15, 2010

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posted by jquinby at 11:18 AM on April 15, 2010

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posted by chunking express at 12:01 PM on April 15, 2010

More on Hooks from the University of Memphis, including a link to video of a speech he gave in November.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 1:30 PM on April 15, 2010

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posted by The Potate at 1:39 PM on April 15, 2010

I'm intrigued by "first African-American judge in the South since Reconstruction". Does this mean African American judges were appointed as part of the Reconstruction? That would be a fascinating story. Or does it just mean the more prosaic "first African-American judge in the South" but phrased in a way that indicates how long after the Reconstruction it was before an African American became a judge in a southern state?
posted by GeckoDundee at 4:41 PM on April 15, 2010

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posted by smoke at 5:20 PM on April 15, 2010

I sometimes did not agree with the man, but I always respected his integrity, purposeful leadership and moral courage. I did not know him personally, but from what I have heard of him from others who did, he was a friend to cherish, and a foe to only the unredeemable.

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posted by paulsc at 6:10 PM on April 15, 2010