Our Mission
Advancing Social Change and Strengthening Democracy Through Research, Service and Historical Preservation.
Who We Are
Hooks Institute: Only Forward
Current Programs and Recent Work
The Frances Dancy Hooks Art Award and Exhibition- Now Open!
“Art = Freedom” explores creativity as a declaration of ourselves and our empowerment — both personally and collectively.
Featuring Memphis-based artists representing varied backgrounds and experiences, the Frances Dancy Hooks Art Exhibition and Award shines a light on the special role of artists in documenting and exploring social issues. Exhibition viewers will be invited not only to witness but to participate in an evolving dialogue: How can personal truth become a tool for collective change? Where does the individual journey meet the social movement?
The act of creation is precious and essential to our humanity. It is a deeply human imperative to be creative: to use one’s hands, voice, soul, body, mind, and spirit to craft and communicate. Often, the artistic drive is in response to something one is resisting. At a very basic level, this could simply be boredom, or feeling ‘stuck.’ Others grapple with a more desperate resistance against loneliness, hopelessness, oppression, or erasure. Yet, we, as humans, find empowerment and freedom in art.
The Institute will host two special events, open to the public, to share the exhibition. Tickets are $10 per person, and include admission and hors d'oeuvres.
Tues., Oct 28, 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm | Exhibition open, art making opportunities, closing reception.
CLICK HERE to go to Eventbrite and purchase your tickets.
Introducing the In Their Words Project!
In Their Words is a community archiving initiative dedicated to preserving the legacies of civil
rights activists in West Tennessee and the MidSouth. By collecting obituaries, letters, diaries, photographs,
and related documents, we aim to construct a more comprehensive and inclusive historical record that includes the words, memories, and perspectives of all those who participated
in this activism and the fight for social justice. In the face of ongoing erasure
and censorship, this project affirms the importance of memory, scholarship, and community
stewardship of civil rights history.
To find out more, please contact us at theirwordsproject@memphis.edu or call 901-678-3974
The Hooks Institute Policy Papers - Now in the Library of Congress!
The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change is proud to announce that 10 editions of the Hooks Institute’s Policy Papers, from 2014 through 2025, are now housed in the Library of Congress, Washington, DC. The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world and the main research arm of the U.S. Congress. Its collection of films, books, newspapers, manuscripts, and other materials aims to “inform, inspire, and engage” people.
The Hooks Institute Policy Papers cover topics ranging from racial justice, economic equity, criminal legal reform, healthcare disparities, and community well-being to the impact of artificial intelligence on marginalized communities.
The authors of these papers include faculty from the University of Memphis and other universities, as well as policy analysts, practitioners, and activists from Memphis and across the nation. The goal of the Policy Papers is to help shape and inform the community and elected officials on pressing issues that hinder marginalized people’s ability to actualize their potential.
The 11th edition of the Hooks Policy Papers will be published in 2025. Stay tuned!
Tennessee General Assembly Honors Fayette County Activists and the University of Memphis Hooks Institute with Resolution
The Tennessee General Assembly recently passed a resolution to honor the activists from the Fayette County Movement and the documentary, website and exhibitions created by the University of Memphis Hooks Institute to preserve and analyze the history of this movement.
Before the General Assembly voted on the resolution, Hooks Institute Executive Director Daphene R. McFerren made brief remarks on the critical importance of preserving this historical work to help ensure equity and social justice for future generations. Her remarks received a standing ovation from the General Assembly.
See What Hooks Has Been Up To
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Stay engaged with our efforts to promote an equal and just society!
Who We Are
- We transform adults and students through our work including financial literacy training, public lectures, and documentaries on civil rights and social change.
- We provide ongoing coaching and mentoring to University of Memphis college students to help them achieve successful graduation and professional outcomes.
- We have trained federal and local government personnel on community inequalities by using research from Hooks Institute. This research has also been cited by the media and included in documentary broadcasts.
- We use the collective scholarship of the university to eradicate inequality and to create prosperity in our communities.
- We are the only university Institute in the State of Tennessee with a community engagement, scholarship, and research mission to remove discrimination and inequality in Memphis and beyond.
Who We Serve
- The University of Memphis community, Memphis and Shelby County, the state and the nation. These entities connect to our work through our publications, lecture series, documentaries, and social media.
- Teachers who receive training from Institute staff on civil rights history and use our materials in their classrooms.
- University of Memphis students enrolled in HAAMI or ASATT.
- Faculty at the University of Memphis who receive grants that enable them to fund research focused on societal disparities and their causes.
- Individuals, grassroots leaders, government officials and business leaders who can find valuable research and policy conclusions set forth in the Institute’s Policy Papers.
- Historians who are researching or seeking information about social change or civil rights especially as it applies to events in the Mid-South.