dr. benjamin lawson hooks. stand here today on behalf of the mayor of the city of detroit, the honorable who came by on monday. when dr. hooks body was lying in state comic he gave me a personal request. he said, on the flowers, can you do me a favor? and i said what is that? he said, can you speak on behalf of myself and the city of detroit and let mrs. hooks know how much detroit loves dr. hoo dr. hooks. on behalf of detroit, michigan, we say to memphis, and the world, thank you for letting dr. hooks a abide with us for 30 years in detroit. we gave him a presidential sendoff on monday night when his body left from the church. i also received a phone call from the president of professional national baptist convention, doctor smith. he asked if i could convey to you, mrs. hooks, do you, pat, that the entire family share with you in this great loss. and he sent over a letter for me to give to you on behalf of progressive national baptist convention. but i also stand here today as pastor, the greater, missionary b

dr. benjamin lawson hooks. dr. hooks truly was a renaissance man.was an attorney, a criminal court judge, a businessman, a respected civil rights leader, a powerful preacher of the gospel. he served as first african- american commissioner for the federal communications commissioner and later as executive director and ceo of the naacp. president bush awarded the presidential award of the freedom in 2007. president obama recently characterized him as a trailblazer. others describe this remarkable individual as a mentor, down to earth friend, a man of action, and an icon. without a doubt, dr. hooks was a true american patriot, a peaceful warrior, and a hero to all who fight for equality and social justice. he challenged us to learn from the struggles of the past generation as we progressed toward the future gains and possibilities. his passionate battle against racial prejudice, bigotry, and tolerance, an equity inspires us to join together for the prominence -- for the purpose of the peace and the opportunities for all. dr. hooks will be sorely missed

dr. benjamin church, who is the surgeon surgeon general of the continental army. he is one of the five leaders of the patriot movement in massachusetts along with john and samuel adams. john hancock, or warren, and dr. church. the only problem is, dr. church is a british spy. he has been on the british payroll since at least 1772. and so, while he is running the american hospitals, he is sending in information to british generals in boston. what you see at the bottom of the screen-- have got to point at the right way. right here. at actual decoded, handwritten message that is the deciphered the of his that was intercepted. it was good and he was able to send this mail directly into boston. it had to go down to newport, so what he did is he sent his mistress, who was a prostitute in boston, down to newport to one of her former clients to get the message to the british captain of the vessel. she delivers the message to him. he promises to take it on board ship. sees a message that is in ciphers and symbols, so he decides not to do it, takes the document and goes to

dr. benjamin received the unanimous -- that means bipartisan support of the united states senate. aughter] [applause] >> who confirmed her appointment last october. i am honored and proud to present to you america's doctor, regina benjamin, m.d. [applause] >> good morning. thank you. what a warm welcome. that is so nice. it really is. it's nice to be here. but i didn't expect such a warm welcome. that is really, really nice. a nice way to start my day, although it started a few hours ago. [laughter] >> but this is really the beginning. that was a wonderful introduction. i'm glad to be here for the stakeholders meeting group. patient-centered care is what i've always been about all my life. and my philosophy. and so this fits right in. so before i start talking about a little of that, i want to tell you that people often ask how they should address me. should it be general or should it be certain or what. [laughter] >> and so i always say just call me doctor 'cause that's really what i am. and that's what i would prefer. but while my title is surgeon general of the rank of my unifor

dr. benjamin hooks. dr. hooks died last thursday at his home in memphis after a long illness. he was 85. his funeral was held today. hooks was a lawyer. ordained minister. and the leader of the naacp for 15 years. he was remembered as a tenacious and committed leader. >> ben believed in his heart, believed in his soul, the impossible was possible. >> during the service today mourners also observed a moment of silence for another civil rights icon, dorothy heights, who died yesterday. >>> a d.c. reading program is making a difference in the lives of students and it is getting national recognition. the program teams students up with some of washington's biggest power brokers including senators and members of congress. children are paired up with a mentor that reads to them once a week. this session is taking place at brent elementary school in southeast. it is sponsored by everybody wins d.c. private lip funded nonprofit group. we will hear from some of the students and their mentors in a full report coming up on "in nightly news with brian williams" right after this newscast. >

dr. benjamin hooks. both lived long and fruitful lives and leave legacies that will endure for generations to come. tonight we pay tribute to dr. hooks and dr. height, two trail blazers, two giants who paved the way and opened the doors of opportunity for countless numbers of americans. this week dr. height will be laid to rest and she will be forever remembered as a bold and brilliant african-american woman who blazed many trails and opened many doors so that we all could lead freer and more prosperous lives. a matriarch of the civil rights movement and a staunch advocate of women's rights, dr. height wore many hats throughout her life, both literally and figuratively, with elegance and with dignity, with excellence and with determination. and i'm going to miss her so much. she showed us that the fight for women's rights and our struggle for civil and human rights were not mutually exclusive. she was a coalition builder in our work for justice for all. a couple of months ago and i was listening to congre

dr. benjamin hooks. the visitation runs through 8:30 at a church in his hometown of memphis. he died last week at 85. he led the naacp to prominence in 1970s and 1980s. >>> funeral arrangements have been set for former baltimore archbishop william borders. he died yesterday of colon cancer. he was 96 years old. a public viewing take place thursday at 10:30 at the cathedral of mary our queen located at 5200 north charles street. on friday, reverend borders funeral will begin at 1:00 p.m. >>> toyota dealers already dealing with several recalls now have got another problem to fix. toyota is recalling nearly 10,000 lexus gs460s. this is the sixth recall since november. abc 2 news don harrison has more on the impact on dealers right here in maryland. >> reporter: just as toyota agreed to pay a record $16 million fine, toyota announced it will recall 94 00 lex -- 9400 lexus vehicles. they need to change a computer glitch. >> no question they've had a number of things happen all at once. >> reporter: peter kits miller is the president of the maryland automobile dealers association a

dr. benjamin church, the surgeon general of the continental army, one of the five leaders of the patriot movement of massachusetts along with john and samuel adams and john hancock and dr. church the only problem is dr. church is a british spy and has been on the british payroll since at least 1772 is so while he is running the american hospital sees cents in information to british generals in boston. what you see at the bottom of the screen is the actual decoded handwritten message the decipher key that was intercepted he was not able to send his mail directly to boston red go down to newport. he sent his mistress who was a prostitute in boston down to newport to one of her former clients to get the message to the british captain of the vessel. she delivers the message to him and he promises to take it on board the ship but sees the message that is hidden ciphers and symbols and decides not to do it and takes the document and goes to the governor of rhode island to then sends him up to american general green who being a merchant dominos it is encoded message. americans put two teams to d

dr. benjamin l. hooks. hat the text of that resolution be included in the record following my remarks now. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. alexander: benjamin hooks was certainly one of tennessee's most distinguished citizens and one of america's leaders in this last half century. he was a patriot, a family man, a visionary, a lawyer, a storyteller, a preacher. and for my wife and i, he and his wife francis were close and good friends. it's hard to start talking -- i -- there will be a funeral service in memphis on wednesday. i will attend it, will make remarks there, but i wanted to say just a few words about my friend, dr. hooks, on the floor of the senate today. ben hooks was born april 15, 85 years ago. he leaves his wife francis and his daughter, patricia gray and two grandsons. he was the fifth of seven children born to robert b. and bessie hooks. and right from the beginning, he was part of a pioneering family. he was the grandson of julia hooks, the second black woman in the united stat

dr. benjamin mays, then president of morehouse college. behavior, after he led a bus boycott in montgomery, and inspired a nation with his dreams, he delivered a sermon on what he called the drum major instinct. sermon said we all have the desire to be first. we all want to be at the front of the line. a great test of a life, dr. martin luther king, jr. said it's the heart of that instinct to redirect it towards advancing the greater good. towards changing a community and a country for the better, for doing the lord's work. i sometimes think dr. king must have had dorothy height in mind when he gave that speech. for dorothy height met the test. dorothy height embodied that instinct. dorothy height was a drum major for justice. a drum major for equality, a drum major for freedom. a drum major for service. and the lessons she would want us today, the lessons she lived out each and everyday. that we can all be first in service. we can all be drum majors for a righteous cause. so let us live out that lesson. let us honor her life by changing t

dr. benjamin hooks. he will be buried tomorrow in memphis. he was another one who just gave up his life to civil rights. the first african-american judge in the deep south. the first fcc commissioner, and also he was someone who helped to keep the movement alive. you know, ali, the civil rights movement is an ongoing struggle for equality for all americans. and when you look around today, you see not only the national council of negro women continuing dr. height's legacy, but the naacp just, you know, elect a new leader in -- >> a woman. >> ben jealous, he's also part of the generation of leaders. and you look on capitol hill, barbara lee, the chair of the congressional black caucus, you have pamela harris who is running statewide in california, kendrick meeks running statewide in florida. >> but is there grassroots support for that idea? because if you're young, you haven't seen the civil rights issues that -- that these people like dorothy height and ben hooks, saw. >> well, but, you know, civil rights was not just about breaking down barri

dr. benjamin mays, then president of morehouse college.e describes him, filled with a sense of purpose, who was trying to decide whether to enter medicine or law or the ministry. many years later, after that gifted child had become a gifted preacher, i am sure he had been towed to be on his best behavior. after he led a bus boycott in montgomery and inspired a nation with his dreams, he delivered a sermon on what they called the drum major instinct. a sermon that said we all have to desire to be first. we all want to be at the front of the line. the great test of a life, dr. martin luther king jr. said, is to harness that instinct, to redirect it toward advancing the greater good, towards changing a community and the country for the better, toward doing the lord's worke#ñ. i sometimes think dr. king must have had dorothy height in mind when he gave that speech. for dorothy height met that test. dorothy height embodied that instinct. dorothy height was a drum major for justice, a drum major for equality, a drum major for freedom, a drum maj

dr. benjamin l. hooks. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. durbin: madam president, i ask unanimous consent to be add as a cosponsor to this resolution. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid on the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: madam president, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h. con. res. 243 he desk and just received from the house. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h. con. res. 243 authorizing the use of emancipation hall in the capitol visitors center for an event to celebrate the birthday o king kamamayo. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure. mr. durbin:. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent the concurrent resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid on the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent

dr. benjamin hooks who we paid tribute to as well. but in this life, there are few giants who reach down to talk to those who are still learning. dr. dorothy height was that woman. she is the only woman that was present at the 1963 historic and powerful march on washington. she stayed steadfast in her meetings with franklin delano roosevelt. and, of course, she was successor to the national council of negro women. the only building on pennsylvania avenue owned by african-americans, and in this instance, african-american women, is the office of the national council, headed by dr. dorothy height. historic presence on pennsylvania avenue just a few blocks from the white house, what a statement of power. this afternoon as i landed here in washington, i went to that building to pay respects. i just simply had to be in her presence in this building. to be able to see her pictures and her face and to see and hear those who were gathering, to be able to honor her. the whole plaza is part of that building. as i walked in, i heard the story that

dr. benjamin hooks was known affectionately as uncle bennie. and this was a beautiful, beautiful person. he's a tremendous man of god. he inspired us like never before. there is nobody -- i know any close family member that was not touched by his presence, by his oration. by his concern. especially he and francis together. i'm not going to stand before you long. but i want to thank each and every one of you for supporting him for coming out for being a blessing. i was privileged to work with ben, uncle bennie, as his physician. he had a lot of trust in me. and he listened to me. and i didn't really see him as a giant. but after all of the things and the people and the comments, the accolades -- sometimes you don't realize how big someone is. and i'm certainly thankful to be among one of the giants. like iron sharpened irons, he sharpens one of us. i'm here with my brethren michael. we're not going to stand before you long. we've been here a while. but i will say that dr. hooks, uncle bennie, as i had a chance to work with him, he stripped down.

dr. and mrs. benjamin mayes. he was the president of morehouse, and he -- his wife invited me to come home early one evening to meet what she said was -- she said, i want you to meet bennie's favorite student. and it turned out to be martin luther king, jr. c-span: what year would that have been? >> guest: that was 1945. c-span: what do you remember about him at age 15? >> guest: i remember -- i remember what an experience it was to sit and -- around dinner and then after dinner to just hear him think like any 15-year-old would do about what he wanted to do and what he wanted to be, whether he wanted to go into ministry or medicine or law. and you know, one of the things that struck me so mightily was i knew that i was in the presence of an unusual person, not only because he was gifted but because of, really, the nature of even the conversation. and then 10 years later, when rosa parks refused to give up her seat, he was my leader, in 1955. it was a tremendous experience. c-span: now, there's a picture in your b

dr. benjamin lawson hooks for his commitment to justice and his work with the naacp to eliminate barrierso civil rights and his leadership in promoting equal opportunity for everybody. he was born in memphis in 19 256789 his family inspired him to study diligently and go to college, from which he graduated in 1944. after service in the united states army he went to law school at depaul university. he graduated in 1948 and went back home to memphis, tennessee. from 1949 to 1965, he was one of a handful of african-americans practicing law in memphis. in his law practice, dr. hooks was determined to combat segregation. days before the united states supreme court decision in brown vs. board of education in 1954, dr. hooks joined thurgood marshall and other attorneys at a round table to consider litigation strategies to challenge jim crow laws. dr. hooks was a pioneer in sit-ins and other boycotts sponsored by the naacp. throughout the 1960's, he worked with the naacp on several civil rights protests and marches throughout the united states. throughout this time period, however, dr. hooks fulf

dr. height. been a sad week or so for civil rights movement in aftermath of benjamin hooks and now dr. heights. equal pay act. today se qaul payday and when the equal pay act was signed in 1963 by president kennedy who was standing next to him? dorothy height. a real civil rights icon. so thank you for the opportunity to be here. >> thank you for being in birmingham. >> and i three wonderful days in birmingham as i told senator sessions at the civil rights institute at 16th street church meeting with civil rights leaders. i met an old colleague of mine i prosecuted a case with in alabama in 1991 when i was a career civil servant under dick thornburgh and it was great to reacquaint and i had one of the best meals i've ever had senator in birmingham that evening. good have it ls as we -- as we say in the business awould say how proud i am of bifrming ham for its -- birmingham for its principled and sincere effort to confront its past where racial discrimination was far too prevalent and much of it was very, very destructive and damageing to that whole city. but it has confronted its past in an ho