Dr. Benjamin Hooks and Children's Health Forum

The case includes law, business, and public health perspectives on an African American leader's social entrepreneurship and leadership in other social movements. Later in his life, Dr. Benjamin Hooks championed the eradication of lead poisoning. Prior to that Hooks travelled down several distinct career paths as a pioneering civil rights activist. His positions ranged from lawyer, judge, preacher, entrepreneur to the first African American commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to the head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to the co-founder of the non-profit Children's Health Forum (CHF). CHF's mission was to eradicate lead poisoning in children in the United States, which involved a complex web of interactions of different sectors and different interests including real estate developers, paint manufacturers, landlords, healthcare providers, and more. The case provides an overview of lead poisoning in the U.S., including how it is measured, its causes, and legislation enacted to prevent it. It reflects on Hooks' leadership and choices. It explores why Hooks, as a lawyer and judge, did not chose litigation as his vehicle to tackle the issue of lead poisoning and why he chose to get involved. This case may be used for courses related to leadership, management for change, and social enterprise.