On the recordApril 20, 2010
Rise today to express my strong support for H. Res. 1271, honoring the life and achievements of Dr. Benjamin Lawson Hooks. I would also like to commend the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, John Conyers Jr., and Chairman Steve Cohen, the sponsors of this resolution, for their commitment to preserving the accomplishments of Dr. Hooks. Dr. Hooks had a legendary career and truly exemplifies the quintessential renaissance man. He was an inspirational speaker, defender of minorities and the poor, and a well-known director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Dr. Hooks was a lawyer and a Baptist minister best known for boosting membership in the NAACP and making it relevant in today's political times. After a lifetime of advocacy for the oppressed, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007.
