*Pages 1--2 from  Microsoft Word - 58860.doc*
 REMARKS  OF  COMMISSIONER  MICHAEL  J.  COPPS 
 TRIBUTE  FOR  BENJAMIN  HOOKS  WASHINGTON,  DC 
 JULY  19,  2006 
 It’s  an  honor  for  me  to  be  here  today  and  to  help  welcome  a  living  legend  back  to  one  of  his  many  homes.  Benjamin  Hooks  changed  this  place  while  he  was  here—  not 
 because  of  who  he  was  when  he  arrived—  although  that  made  history,  too—  but  for  what  he  did  once  he  got  here,  and  therein  was  a  mighty  contribution.  He  brought  solutions  to 
 problems,  yes,  but  just  as  much  he  brought  simmering  and  long-  neglected  problems  to  the  attention  of  the  nation,  raised  its  consciousness,  and  helped  educate  us  all  on  the 
 terrible  gap  between  the  Promise  of  America  and,  in  so  many  sad  respects,  the  Reality  of  America.  He  showed  us,  as  perhaps  no  Commissioner  ever  had,  that  the  discrimination 
 and  prejudice  that  continued  to  eat  at  the  heart  of  America  even  so  recently  as  the  1970s,  was  aided  and  abetted  by  the  sorry  state  of  unequal  inopportunity  that  existed  in  our 
 communications  industries. 
 Commissioner  Hooks,  just  like  Lawyer  Hooks,  Reverend  Hooks  and  Executive  Director  Hooks,  fought  to  change  that  reality  through  his  unique  combination  of  idealism 
 and  practicality.  He  made  a  difference  on  so  many  issues  that  came  before  the  FCC,  for  that  we  are  grateful,  and  today  we  express  our  gratitude  and  pay  him  long  overdue 
 tribute.  As  a  member  of  the  FCC,  he  addressed  the  lack  of  minority  ownership  of  television  and  radio  stations.  He  brought  focus  and  attention  to  how  African  Americans 
 are  represented  in  the  media.  And  with  his  presence  he  provided  more  stakeholders  with  access  to  the  work  of  the  FCC.  He  understood  as  Americans  we  all  have  a  stake  in 
 communications  policy  and  that  it  is  a  vital  part  of  our  job  to  provide  more  citizens  with  access  to  the  Commission’s  policy  table.  But  we  also  owe  him  thanks  for  his  summons 
 to  us  to  do  more—  so  much  more—  than  we  had  ever  done  before. 
 Like  democracy  itself,  equal  opportunity  has  to  be  fought  for  by  every  generation.  When  it  comes  to  a  level  field  among  the  races,  attaining  equality  of  opportunity  has 
 proven  even  more  difficult—  even  more  evasive—  than  preserving  the  basic  pillars  of  our  democratic  political  institutions.  In  communications,  even  while  some  strive  mightily  to 
 expand  opportunity,  and  even  while  we  recognize  that  we  have  come  a  long  way  since  the  prophets  of  civil  and  economic  rights  bled  and  died  to  show  us  the  way  50  years  ago, 
 we  have,  I  believe,  basically  failed  the  course. 
 Today  people  of  color  comprise  more  than  30%  of  America’s  population.  Yet  our  own  FCC  data  reveal  that  only  3.41%  of  all  broadcast  entities  are  minority-  owned—  and 
 only  1.4%  of  TV  stations.  Dig  a  little  deeper  in  the  data  and  you  will  find  that  the  percentage  of  high-  power  television  stations  owned  by  African-  Americans  is…  0.12%! 
 That’s  not  a  national  problem.  It’s  a  national  disgrace.  And  we  wonder  why  the  depiction  and  characterization  of  minorities  in  our  media  are  so  distorted?  We  wonder 
 why  issues  of  importance  to  our  many  diversity  communities  don’t  get  the  attention  they  need  if  they’re  ever  going  to  be  resolved?  Let’s  be  frank:  ownership  rules.  Unless  and 
1
 until  we  do  something  targeted  specifically  to  correct  this  sad  state  of  affairs,  our  communications  sectors  will  continue  to  under-  serve  America  and  the  Promise  of 
 America  that  I  mentioned  earlier  will  have  no  hope—  no  hope  at  all—  of  redemption. 
 Seeing  Benjamin  Hooks  here  today—  seeing  Frances,  his  equally  remarkable  wife  of  54  years  here  with  him—  and  recognizing  the  signal  and  significant  contributions  they 
 have  made  to  building  opportunity  in  this  land,  gives  us  occasion  to  rejoice  and  be  thankful.  But  Benjamin  Hooks  never  rested  on  the  laurels  of  accomplishment  because  he 
 always  knew  how  much  remained  to  be  accomplished.  So  we  honor  these  two  splendid  Americans  best  by  going  out,  upon  the  conclusion  of  this  fine  ceremony,  and  tackling  the 
 issues  of  inopportunity  and  injustice  that  continue  to  shackle  not  just  some  of  our  citizens  but,  really,  all  of  us,  no  matter  who  we  are,  where  we  live,  what  we  do.  We  best  honor 
 these  fine  people  by  taking  up  their  struggle  and  trying  to  match  the  strides  they  made  through  the  years.  Thank  you,  Commissioner  Hooks,  for  doing  so  much—  and  thank  you, 
 too,  for  reminding  us  of  how  much  we  have  yet  to  do. 
2