Benjamin Hooks, the long-time NAACP executive director who helped bring the organization's headquarters to Baltimore (shown here at the building's opening), died today at age 85. Hooks was everywhere in the civil rights movement -- at marches, sit-ins and the "I Have a Dream" speech -- and rebuilt the NAACP as its leader from 1977 to 1992.
In an era of quickie celebrity bios, it's a tragedy that so little has been written about his life. "The March of Civil Rights: The Benjamin Hooks Story" is part of an American Bar Association series, and he's featured in another series about African-American leaders. He pops up as a Martin Luther King Jr. confidante in Taylor Branch's works. But I'd love to see a fuller treatment of his fascinating life.
And let's not forget his lasting impact on the world of books: His name graces the central library in his hometown of Memphis. For more photos of his time in Baltimore, check out this gallery.