A book co-edited by history professors Dr. Charles McKinney (Rhodes College) and Dr. Françoise Hamlin (Brown University) has been named a finalist for the Hooks National Book Award, which is presented annually to a non-fiction book that best furthers understanding of the Civil Rights Movement and its legacy. The book is titled From Rights to Lives: The Evolution of the Black Freedom Struggle and was published in 2024 by Vanderbilt University Press.
“The finalists for the Hooks National Book Award are an eclectic, formidable group filled with stories that span the 19th century into the first quarter of the 21st century,” said Dr. Terrence Tucker, Hooks Book Award Chair. “The nominees cast new light on familiar stories such as the impact of civil rights icons Medgar and Myrlie Evers during the Civil Rights Movement while tracing the career of John Lewis before, during and after the movement. These works push audiences to view the Civil Rights Movement as part of a continuum in the fight for emancipation and view this crucial period as part of an ongoing project that directly impacts our present and remains crucial to shaping our future.”
The award winner will be announced this fall, and the author(s) will be invited to speak at a presentation hosted by The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at The University of Memphis.