Bill Text: GA HR2193 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Hooks, Mr. Benjamin Lawson; condolences
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)
Status: (Passed) 2010-04-27 - House Read and Adopted [HR2193 Detail]
Download: Georgia-2009-HR2193-Introduced.html
10 LC 94
3476
House
Resolution 2193
By:
Representatives Brooks of the
63rd,
Abdul-Salaam of the
74th,
Beasley-Teague of the
65th,
Abrams of the
84th,
Morgan of the
39th,
and others
A
RESOLUTION
Honoring
the life and memory of Mr. Benjamin Lawson Hooks; and for other
purposes.
WHEREAS,
the State of Georgia and this country mourn the loss of one of this nation's
champions for minorities with the passing of Mr. Benjamin Lawson Hooks on April
15, 2010; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Hooks was born on January 31, 1925, in Memphis, Tennessee, a beloved son of
Robert and Bessie Hooks; and
WHEREAS,
he attended LeMoyne College, earned a law degree from DePaul University, and
served as a guardian of this nation's freedom and liberty with the United States
Army, valiantly and courageously protecting his fellow Americans during World
War II and rising to the rank of staff sergeant; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Hooks was appointed to the bench of the Shelby County Criminal Court in
Tennessee, making him the first African American criminal court judge in the
state's history, and became actively involved in the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in the 1950's; and
WHEREAS,
after Mr. Hooks became the NAACP's executive director in 1977, he proclaimed
that the Civil Rights movement was not dead and that the NAACP would continue on
in the fight for equality and justice, whether it was in the form of peaceful
protests or through the court system; and
WHEREAS,
he helped establish the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change, a public
policy research center at the University of Memphis, and was awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007 by President George W. Bush;
and
WHEREAS,
a gifted orator, Mr. Hooks earned a standing ovation at the NAACP's 100th
anniversary convention in New York when he declared the fight must continue
until "justice runs down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream," the
glass ceiling has been shattered and there is no downsizing, and until justice,
righteousness, hopes, equality, and opportunity are birthrights for all
Americans; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Hooks was united in love and marriage to his wife Frances for 59 wonderful
years and was blessed with a remarkable daughter, Patricia; and
WHEREAS,
he was a great defender of equality and justice, he made this world a better
place in which to live, and his legacy and influence will flourish for
generations to come.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body join in honoring the life and memory of Mr. Benjamin Lawson Hooks and
express their deepest and most sincere regret at his passing.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the family of
Mr. Benjamin Lawson Hooks.
