Hooks Institute Will Host Open House and Panel Discussion on Race Relations Oct. 15

October 5, 2015 - The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change will lead a community conversation on race relations in America at the Institute's annual Open House Oct. 15 at the Michael D. Rose Theatre on the University of Memphis campus. The event will begin at 4:30 p.m. with a reception, followed by a 5 p.m. panel discussion, "The Hot Summer of 2015: The Nation Faces Old and Retooled Forms of Racial Discrimination: The Intractable Issue of Race in America."

The event is free and open to the public. Convenient and affordable parking will be available in the Zach Curlin Street garage.

Participants will examine recent public events that put a spotlight on race relations in America, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the Charleston shootings, policing in poor communities and economic opportunities for marginalized groups.

This event is co-sponsored by the Director of Diversity Initiatives/Office of the Provost and the Critical Conversations Committee. Critical Conversations is a campus-wide initiative launched by UofM President M. David Rudd earlier this year to engage students, staff and the community in thoughtful, deliberate discussions about key issues that impact our city and nation. The goal of Critical Conversations is to use collective scholarship to sustain and facilitate a democratic civil society that values diversity, civil rights, human rights and nonviolent movements and initiatives.

For more information about Critical Conversations, visit memphis.edu/criticalconversations.

In 1996, University of Memphis officials received approval from the Tennessee Board of Regents to create the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change in the College of Arts & Sciences. The mission of the Institute is teaching, studying and promoting civil rights and social change. The Hooks Institute archives include Hooks' personal papers, which are housed in the Mississippi Valley Collection in the University's McWherter Library. To learn more about the Hooks Institute, visit memphis.edu/benhooks.

Contact: Daphene R. McFerren
901.678.3974