The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis

The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change (Hooks Institute), an interdisciplinary center at the University of Memphis (UofM), was founded in 1996 with funding from the State of Tennessee and the United States Congress. The Institute’s mission of teaching, studying and promoting civil rights and social change is intended to further our namesake’s legacy of public service and commitment to an equitable society. The Institute takes a leadership role in providing awareness, education and advocacy for social justice changes, in policy and practice, for the betterment of the Memphis area community and its citizens. The Institute strives for impact with national replicability. Institute programs include funding faculty research and publications that inform broad sectors of the community, including educators, students, civic leaders and policymakers, business leaders, community organizations and individuals. Institute initiatives such as documentary films, conferences, symposia and lecture series further fulfill the Institute’s education goal. The Hooks Institute’s community engagement programs have included financial literacy classes for adults; voter registration and education; the Splash Mid-South Initiative to increase minority children’s ability to swim (African American and Hispanic children have the highest drowning rates in the nation); and student educational enrichment activities, including the Hooks African American Male Initiative (HAAMI).