About this Event
The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis will present the 2023 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, February 5 at 6:00pm in the Michael D. Rose Theatre on the central campus of the University of Memphis. 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 Dr. Ford. There will be a reception at 5:30pm with light hors d’oeuvres reminiscent of Mollie Moon’s soirees.
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 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 and the parties she had and the types 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.”
About Dr. Tanisha C. FordDr. 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. Tanisha was honored as one of The Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans. 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. Tanisha 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.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Michael D. Rose Theater Lecture Hall, 505 Zach H Curlin Street, Memphis, United States
USD 0.00
