Hooks Institute Programs

Uplift Memphis, Uplift the Nation
The Hooks Institute implements its mission of teaching, studying and promoting civil rights and social change through research, education and direct intervention programs. Hooks Institute programs play a pivotal role in framing and solving disparities related to education, diversity and inclusion, economic mobility and civic engagement with a Memphis model that can be replicated throughout the nation.
Targeting Social Disparities
Hooks Institute programs, such as the Hooks African American Male Initiative (HAAMI), provide direct interventions to help eliminate racial, health, and socioeconomic disparities in the Mid-South. Best practices identified through our efforts are disseminated for replication throughout the nation.
Educating, Promoting, Teaching About Civil and Human Rights
The Hooks Institute's campaigns, conferences, lecture series, and symposiums have become signature programs at the university and within the greater community. These programs are offered free to the public to encourage social change at the grassroots.
Multimedia Projects About Critical Civil Rights Issues
Hooks Institute multimedia projects educate and inspire diverse audiences, advocates and activists. The Hooks Institute educates local, state and national audiences on past and contemporary social justice issues through 21st Century technology that includes websites, social media platforms, and documentaries.
Research Publications/Research Grants and Awards.
The Hooks Institute awards grants and other recognition to faculty, scholars from other institutions, and graduate students seeking to address issues of inequality to further the Institute's goal of developing effective, cutting-edge, and innovative approaches in the humanities and sciences to tackle systemic injustices.
Collaboration and Engagement by Academic, Student, and Greater Memphis Community on Pressing Civil Rights and Social Justice Issues.
The Hooks Institute leads and supports numerous collaborations among universities, businesses, government, community leaders, activists and others to help solve persistent disparities that have been fueled by a persistent and growing problem of poverty in the Mid-South.