The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute's mission of teaching, studying, and promoting civil rights and social change is reflected in its programming, which includes funding faculty research and community service projects; hosting conferences, symposia, and lectures; and promoting and recognizing local and national scholarship on civil and human rights.

With the approval of the Tennessee Board of Regents and funding from the United States Congress and the State of Tennessee, the Hooks Institute was created in 1996. It was founded by Benjamin Hooks and the Department of Political Science and College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Memphis. Together, their common goal for the Institute was to play a pivotal role in framing and solving community problems through the wisdom and vision of pioneers such as Benjamin L. Hooks.

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