Hooks Institute Will Host Open House and Panel Discussion On Race, Class and Social Justice in Memphis Oct. 6

September 26, 2016 - The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis will lead a community conversation on identifying and overcoming the barriers to social equality in our community and nation at the Hooks Institute's Annual Open House on Oct. 6. The event will also mark the release of the 2016 Hooks Institute Policy Papers: Race, Class, and Social Justice in Memphis: A Call to Bridge the Great Divide. The open house will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a reception, followed by a 6 p.m. panel discussion on bridging the dividing barriers to social equality in our society, and a presentation of the Hooks Institute's 2016 policy papers.

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

The panel discussion will identify, and propose solutions too, critical social justice issues in our community and nation, led by the authors of the 2016 Hooks Institute policy papers. Dr. Simone Tulumello (Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Lisbon, Portugal) will present his policy paper "The Long Way to a Safer Memphis: Local Policies for Crime Prevention Need Structural Change," analyzing policing in the United States, including a proposal towards a reformation of public policy. In addition, Dr. Charles Santos (UofM Associate Professor of City and Regional Planning) will present his policy paper "Transportation, Urban Reform and Social Justice in Memphis," examining the importance of ensuring access to quality public transportation for all in Memphis and the nation. Finally, Dr. Eric Groenendyk (UofM Associate Professor of Political Science) will present his policy paper "Ideology and Division: How We Got Here, How Do We Get Back? The Search for Unity," following modern political division, and emphasizing the need for voters to prioritize communal and individual needs over ideological positions in the ballot box.

About the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change

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.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact: Daphene R. McFerren
901.678.3974