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Julia Britton Hooks was a musical prodigy who moved to Memphis in 1876, and soon became a well-known performer on Beale Street.
The daughter of an emancipated slave, Hooks was known to protest against racism and inequality by actively disobeying Jim Crow laws. She once refused to leave the “white balcony” of a Memphis theater and had to be carried out by two policeman.
But Hooks’ legacy is one of public service. She battled segregation in public schools, supported the women’s suffrage movement, advocated for numerous charities and founded the Hooks School of Music.
The ever-admired “Angel of Beale Street.”
– Margaret Willard, The 100 Companies