The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change

10/09/2026

Last night, we announced the winner of the 2026 Frances Dancy Hooks Art Award - photographer D’Angelo Connell and his piece “Still Wrapped in Hope.” Connell was selected among the eleven Memphis-area artists who were finalists for the annual event, which is sponsored by the City of Memphis Office of Cultural and Creative Economy and explores the theme “Embracing Firestorms, Envisioning Futures.”

The finalist artists featured alongside Connell are: Isabella Drenzek, Melody Gordon, Richard Beckwith, Yea That Artist, Bryant Walker, D’Lindo Artistry, Mr. Suit & Tiee, Katrina Leggett, Joshua Tyler, and D.Weaver (winner, 2024 Frances Dancy Hooks Art Award).

Finalists’ works can be viewed as part of the public “Embracing Firestorms, Envisioning Futures” Exhibition and represent a variety of artistic mediums, including acrylic painting, ceramic, photography, silk screen, and mixed media. Tickets for the exhibition, which is free and open to the public, are available at memphis.edu/hooksart.

Congratulations, D'Angelo Connell and all our artists!

10/05/2026

Folks, Last Day - Oct 5, 2026 - to Register to Vote in Shelby County and the rest of Tennessee for the Midterms!

10/01/2026

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the Hooks Institute stands in solidarity and support of those impacted by breast cancer in Memphis and beyond.

Our 2026 Policy Papers, available through the Digital Commons, feature groundbreaking research from looking at social determinants of health and their impact on historically segregated communities in Memphis. Click the link to view or download!
https://loom.ly/mGFMiwQ

Early detection is key to healthy outcomes. Regular checkups are critical. Are you getting them?

"Hooks Institute: Advancing social change and strengthening democracy through scholarship in action."

10/01/2026

Our colleagues at are hosting another important panel discussion, "Memphis After Redistricting" featuring an impressive slate of panelists: Ebony Dawkins-Meeks, Otis Sanford, and Antonio de Valasco. Bring your questions, and be part of the conversation!

09/24/2026

According to the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, young voters (ages 18-29) today are losing faith in their political voice, with trust in the federal government at an all-time low of 15%, and just 26% of young Americans feeling hopeful about the future of America. Caught between political awareness and feelings of political helplessness, this sentiment crosses party lines: with 53% of Democrats and 48% of Republicans all feeling voiceless. Moreover, in research from their youth survey, Tufts’ CIRCLE found that only 38% of Independents say they are extremely likely to vote in 2026. The data shows that young people want to see change, but the majority of youth don’t believe that their vote matters.

However, voting is a Constitutional right and, when we do not use it, we risk the security and efficacy of our democracy. Voting is not only an opportunity to make change, but it is an obligation as citizens of the United States for us to fulfill our civic duties. Tomorrow depends on today, and the tomorrow of America is our young voters.

The last day to register to vote in Tennessee before the next election is October 5th, so register today and plan to exercise your right and responsibility to vote!

09/17/2026

National Voter Registration Day was September 15th, and the Hooks Institute celebrated by once again partnering with the Student Government Association (SGA), the University Libraries, the Memphis Chapter of the NAACP, Memphis Athletics, and the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music to host a campus-wide Voter Registration Drive.

The Hooks Institute asked our Fall 2026 Mellon Intern Yifei Su to sit down with SGA President LaDerrick Milton to discuss the perspective of young people when it comes to voting and why cross-campus partnerships are so important. Read the interview here, and don't forget to subscribe to our 'Uplift Memphis, Uplift the Nation' blog to hear from students, researchers, community members, and the Hooks staff!

https://loom.ly/lvu9N2E

"Hooks Institute: Advancing Social Change Through Scholarship in Action."

https://loom.ly/SKn9NSg

09/15/2026

National Voter Registration Day here at University of Memphis brings lots of Tigers together! Shout out to our partners UofM Libraries The University of Memphis SGA the UofM Chapter of the NAACP, and Memphis Athletics! Vote Tigers, Vote!!

09/10/2026

We’re proud to carry on our tradition of partnering with University of Memphis Libraries and the SGA, among others, to spearhead the voter registration drive this National Voter Registration Day!

🗳️ Are you registered to vote? Your vote. Your voice!

Campus partners at the University of Memphis are hosting a Voter Registration Drive on Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on National Voter Registration Day. Deputy registrars from the Shelby County, TN Election Commission will be on hand to help eligible voters register and to answer questions.

The drive is open to everyone — students, faculty, staff and members of the community.

📍 Registration locations:

• Ned R. McWherter Library entrance
• Maxine A. Smith University Center atrium
• Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center entrance
• Victory Park lobby, Park Avenue Campus

Be sure to bring or know your Social Security number, which is required to complete the Tennessee voter registration application.

The Voter Registration Drive is an initiative by the Student Government Association, the UofM Chapter of the NAACP, the University Libraries, The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change, Memphis Athletics (Memphis Tigers), and the University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music.



For more details and voter resources: https://libcal.memphis.edu/event/17379376

09/09/2026

Remembering Gloria Steinem.

Gloria Marie Steinem was an activist and journalist who helped shape the second-wave feminist movement during the 1960s-1970s. She committed her life to the social, economic and political empowerment of all women.

Steinem helped launch the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971, the Ms. Magazine in 1972, the Ms. Foundation for Women 1973, and the Women’s Media Center in 2004. Ms. Magazine, the first nationally recognized magazine addressing feminist issues, was a platform for Black writers, activists, and thinkers like Angela Davis, bell hooks, Alice Walker, and Shirley Chisholm to advocate their work. These publications helped validate overlooked Black literary histories.

Moreover, Steinem worked alongside prominent Black lawyers like Flo Kennedy and organizer Dorothy Pitman Hughes, famously noting in 2015 that she learned feminism “largely from Black women,” and that her activism was shaped by her Black peers. Understanding the significance of political power for women, Steinem supported Shirley Chisholm during her 1972 presidential run in a Black woman’s pathbreaking bid for the White House.

On November 22, 2013, President Barack Obama awarded Steinem the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Steinem received this highest civilian honor for her lifelong work on women and civil rights. Her work continues to resonate throughout the nation today through the inclusion of women in the social, economic and political spheres of American life.

"Hooks Institute: Advancing Social Change through Scholarship in Action"

Photo Credit: Gotfryd, B., photographer. Retrieved from the Library of Congress.

09/08/2026

We're partnering once again with the University Libraries, the Student Government Association, UofM Chapter of the NAACP, the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music, and Memphis Athletics to hold a voter registration drive on Tuesday, September 15, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The Shelby County Election Commission will be on hand to support. The 15th is National Voter Registration Day, so it's a great time to register and to double-check your voter registration status!

Students, staff, and faculty, as well as the public can register at one of four locations:
McWherter Library entrance
Maxine A. Smith University Center Atrium
Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center entrance
Victory Park Lobby on the Park Avenue campus

Those interested in registering should have their Social Security number handy.

"Hooks Institute: Advancing Social Change through Scholarship in Action."