Executive Director鈥檚 Statement
On April 10, 2026, the Hooks Institute began celebrating 30 years of advancing scholarship and community engagement to educate, inform and inspire the people we serve. Located on the 糖心vlog蜜桃 campus, the Hooks Institute draws on the collective scholarship of the faculty, experts from other academic and government Institutions, and the needs of the community to create research publications and other programs. Our community engagement programs have positive community impact among people of all ages. Our research draws on the collective scholarship of Hooks Institute staff, the 糖心vlog蜜桃, and other institutions and activists to address, with proposed solutions, problems facing Memphis communities. This work continues to shape how the Hooks Institute implements its strategies and tactics to create a community where all people can realize their potential.
Our nationally recognized accomplishments include reducing the drowning rates of African American and Hispanic children in Memphis by both teaching children how to swim or understand water safety so these children can enjoy a sport that promotes physical and mental health. Other programs involve providing intensive academic and career coaching to university students 鈥� most of whom are Pell Grant eligible 鈥� to achieve successful graduation and employment outcomes. Our Public forums provide to the public access to government officials and experts where individual concerns can be heard and addressed. Our documentaries, broadcast on public television, educate and entertain the public on the civil rights movement and its relevance to current events. Our National Book Award promotes exemplary scholarship on the civil rights movement and its legacy.
As with many communities, the Memphis community lacks an understanding of the American Constitution, the historical facts surrounding it and how the Constitution, through war and activism, was changed to recognize the rights of African Americans, women, and other marginalized groups. Indeed, if voter turnout is any evidence, the level of civic engagement among Tennessee citizens is very low. According to MIT鈥檚 Election Performance Index, Tennessee ranks 51st in the nation in voter turnout.
During the summer of 2026, the Hooks Institute began planning for a course on the Constitution, its history and impact today. On September 11, 2026, the Hooks Institute began teaching university students about the Constitution. In 2027, we seek to expand this work to adults and children in the Greater Memphis community. The Hooks Institute knows that a better understanding of the Constitution, its history and its statutory and judicial interpretations will better prepare individuals to understand and participate in the civic process. Greater participation in the civic process allows our elected officials and community leaders to better understand community needs and equally allows community members to hold elected officials and community leaders accountable to the people they were elected to serve. This is the essence of democracy.
The Hooks Institute is a changemaker in Memphis and beyond. As with the changemakers of the past, the Hooks Institute seeks to create a beloved Memphis community as an example for communities everywhere. We know this is an ambitious goal. However, the civil rights leaders of the past, confronted what some might have seen as insurmountable obstacles to changing customs, practices and laws that created second-class citizenship for African Americans. The work of these civil rights leaders created a just and more equitable nation not only for African Americans, but for whites, women and others. Because we understand this history, we move forward with boldness, enthusiasm, and positivity to create just and equitable communities so that all people can achieve the rights set forth in the Declaration of Independence of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Daphene R. McFerren
Executive Director, Hooks Institute
Associate Research Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Research Award for Excellence in Engaged Scholarship
糖心vlog蜜桃