Hooks: "Giving a voice to the voiceless"

April 20th, 2010 4:10 pm CT


“Remember that down in the valley where crime abounds and dope proliferates…where babies are having babies, our brothers and sisters are crying to us, ‘Is anyone listening? Does anyone care?”

Dr. Benjamin Hooks spoke those words at the 1992 National Convention of the NAACP as a reminder to members who had gain financial success to not forget those who still struggle.

As we celebrate the life of Reverend Dr. Benjamin Hooks we recognize the gap between the ‘haves and have-nots’ has widened. Who is standing up for social justice?

Glenn Beck has a war against social justice, calling the use of the phrase “social justice” nothing but, “code words for Nazism and communism.”

Today, everyone seems to be against something. Downtowners are against homeless panhandlers, Tea Partiers are against taxation, and the Republican Party is against anything that Obama does.

We need to stand up for something. We need to stand up for principle. We need to stand up for justice and for those who are voiceless.

Dr. Hooks left a legacy for us to follow. On Wednesday, April 21, a public viewing will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. to pay final tribute and thanks to Dr. Hooks at Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ, 369 G.E. Patterson. The funeral service will begin at 11 a.m.

The President stated, "Our national life is richer for the time Dr. Hooks spent on this earth, and our union is more perfect for the way [he] spent it: Giving a voice to the voiceless."

Let us be inspired to listen and care about what the voiceless are saying.