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Hooks Institute to Host National Book Award Presentation

Jan. 27, 2025 — The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis will present the Hooks National Book Award to Dr. Tanisha C. Ford, author of "Our Secret Society: Mollie Moon and the Glamour, Money, and Power Behind the Civil Rights Movement" on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. 

The event, in partnership with the University of Memphis’ Graduate Association for African-American History (GAAAH), will include the award presentation and a lecture by Ford. There will be a reception, with light hors d’oeuvres, reminiscent of Mollie Moon’s soirees, at 5:30 p.m. at the Michael D. Rose Theatre at University of Memphis Central Campus. 

This event is free and open to the public, although tickets are required and may be reserved through Eventbrite. Affordable and secure parking is available in the Zach Curlin Garage. 

About “Our Secret Society”
Published by Amistad, "Our Secret Society" lifts up the central role of African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement by tracing the life of Mollie Moon, founder and president of the National Urban League Guild, and her fundraising efforts for activists throughout the Civil Rights Movement. “It’s important to talk about the big names in the Civil Rights Movement, but what really made the civil rights movement work were the people that you don’t hear about a lot,” said Dr. Terrence Tucker, chair and professor of English at the University of Memphis and chair of the Hooks National Book Award Committee. Tucker added, “Something else that we don’t think about is money and how the movement was paid for. Thinking about someone like Mollie Moon and the money she raised through the National Urban League, the parties she had, the types of people she interacted with, and the role that her fundraising events played not only in raising funds for the Civil Rights Movement, but also in connecting people like the Rockefellers with African American activists.” "Our Secret Society" won the 2024 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Work of Biography/Autobiography.

About Dr. Tanisha C. Ford
Dr. Tanisha C. Ford is a writer, researcher and cultural critic working at the intersection of politics and culture. She has forged an international reputation for her groundbreaking research on the history of Black style/fashion and social movements. Ford was honored as one of The Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans. She authored "Liberated Threads: Black Women, Style, and the Global Politics of Soul" and "Dressed in Dreams: A Black Girl’s Love Letter to the Power of Fashion." She is currently a professor of history at The Graduate Center, CUNY, where she teaches courses on African American and African diaspora history, biography and memoir and the geopolitics of fashion. Ford lives in Harlem.

About the Hooks National Book Award
The Hooks Institute's National Book Award is presented to a nonfiction book published in the calendar year that best furthers understanding of the American civil rights movement and its legacy. A panel of judges representing various disciplines and academic institutions in Memphis awards the annual honor. The winner was chosen from a group of 49 nominations covering a diverse field of subjects related to the civil rights movement and its legacy. 

Hooks National Book Award Committee
The Hooks Institute extends its gratitude to the Hooks National Book Award committee. In addition to Dr. Terrence Tucker the committee includes Dr. Beverly Cross, Lillian and Morrie Moss Chair of Excellence in Urban Education at the UofM; Dr. Aram Goudsouzian, Bizot Family Professor of History at the UofM; Dr. Ladrica Menson-Furr, assistant dean of the UofM College of Arts & Sciences, associate professor of English and director of African and African American Studies and Dr. Shatavia Wynn, assistant professor of religious studies and Africana studies at Rhodes College. 

About the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change  
The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute implements its mission of teaching, studying and promoting civil rights and social change through research, education and direct intervention programs. Institute programs include community outreach; funding faculty research initiatives on community issues; implementing community service projects; hosting conferences, symposiums, and lectures; and promoting local and national scholarship on civil and human rights. The Hooks Institute is an interdisciplinary center at the University of Memphis. Contributed revenue for the Hooks Institute, including funding from individuals, corporations, and foundations, is administered through the University of Memphis Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Amy Ruggaber
Assistant Director
The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change
krggaber@memphis.edu

 

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