Date: Nov 10, 2007 9:03 PM
Subject: Presidential Medal for Ben Hooks
To: pg@harvardsf.org
Perry,
As you might know, Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks, civil rights stalwart,
colleague of Martin Luther King, Jr., Baptist preacher, lawyer, judge,
and Executive Director of the NAACP from 1977 to 1992, was awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 5, 2007. The presidential
remarks and citation are below.
The life experiences of this conscience-bound fighter for justice
included Nazi prisoners of war being served in restaurants, etc., that
refused to serve him although he wore the uniform of the United States
Army and was guarding the Nazis! He also has lived long enough and
fought hard enough to see two African American Secretaries of the Army
in the persons of Clifford Alexander '55 and Togo West, Jr. Both of
these men were aware of the indignities historically heaped upon Black
GI's that were tolerated by the U. S. military and how the likes of
Ben Hooks fought to end that shame.
Dr. Hooks is eighty-two. Who among the millions who have benefited
from his toils will accept the baton and run toward solutions to the
thousands and thousands of Black males in the criminal justice system?
Who will bring some novel and creative thinking to reducing the
"Achievement Gap?"
Best regards,
David
_______________________________________________________
Text of President Bush's introductory remarks:
Brotherhood is perhaps the greatest theme in the life and character
of Dr. Benjamin Hooks. The man has always had what his friend Dr. King
called the strength to love. As a civil rights activist, public
servant, and minister of the Gospel, Dr. Hooks has extended the hand
of fellowship throughout his years. It was not an always thing -- easy
thing to do. But it was always the right thing to do.
Benjamin Hooks grew up in a segregated South, where economic
advantages, and even common courtesies, were often denied to African
Americans. In the Army during World War II, he guarded European
prisoners of war held in the United States. When it was time to get
something to eat, whites-only restaurants would serve the prisoners,
but not Sergeant Hooks. After the war he wanted to study law, but not
a single law school in Tennessee would admit a black man. So he went
to DePaul University in Chicago, then came back home, determined to
"break down that segregation, to end those days."
He became a lawyer, and in time was also an ordained Baptist
minister. He joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and
was an early crusader in that great movement. He also rose in the
legal profession, becoming the first African American ever to serve as
a judge of the Tennessee Criminal Court. He was named to the Federal
Communications Commission by President Nixon.
The nation best remembers Benjamin Hooks as the leader of the NAACP.
For 15 years, Dr. Hooks was a calm yet forceful voice for fairness,
opportunity, and personal responsibility. He never tired or faltered
in demanding that our nation live up to its founding ideals of liberty
and equality. His testimony had special power -- for the words that he
spoke, and for the example that he set as a man of decency and
rectitude.
It's been a great journey, and he's traveled with a good and gracious
woman at his side, Frances Hooks. They're a wonderful team. They've
been married for 56 years.
Dr. Hooks once said, "You've got to believe that tomorrow somehow can
be, and will be, better than today." Because he had that belief,
because he held on to it, because he acted upon it, an old order has
passed away. And all Americans can be grateful for the good works and
the good life of Benjamin L. Hooks. (Applause.)
The Presidential Medal of Freedom citation reads:
Benjamin L. Hooks. (Applause.) As a minister, lawyer, judge, and
public servant, Benjamin Hooks has dedicated his life to equal justice
under law. A pioneer of the Civil Rights movement and a leader of the
NAACP, he fought to extend the full promise of America to all its
citizens, and he battled injustice with civility, grace, and a
generous spirit. His efforts have helped bring our nation closer to
its founding ideals. The United States honors Benjamin Hooks: champion
of equality, opportunity, and justice. (Applause.)