The world just lost a champion.

Benjamin Hooks, who served as executive director of the NAACP, died at 85 years old, after battling an illness. Hooks took over as executive director in 1977, at a time when the organization was on its knees: The NAACP was more than $1 million in debt and had shrunk to just 200,000 members.

At the time, Hooks said to Ebony magazine:

''Black Americans are not defeated. The civil rights movement is not dead. If anyone thinks that we are going to stop agitating, they had better think again. If anyone thinks that we are going to stop litigating, they had better close the courts. If anyone thinks that we are not going to demonstrate and protest, they had better roll up the sidewalks.''
Hooks served the NAACP until 1992, and by that time, the organization's membership had grown by leaps and bounds. He also engaged in more activity to increase the visibility of the group.

''And I hope that all these young folks who accept their rights with such a cavalier attitude, those who are disrespectful to their seniors, those who go to these schools and misuse the opportunities ... realize that as these men and women move off the scene that somebody has to step up,'' said Tennessee State Rep. John Deberry. ''Somebody has to continue the battle.''

Hooks was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2007. Bush said:

''Dr. Hooks was a calm yet forceful voice for fairness, opportunity and personal responsibility. He never tired or faltered in demanding that our nation live up to its founding ideals of liberty and equality.''

The death of Benjamin Hooks is a wake-up call for all of us to rethink our perception of the civil rights struggle in America. Many young people are disconnected from the essence of the struggle, because they are not properly educated about it. We are not informed of just how much work it took to make the world into what it has become today. Much of this is deliberate, since our children are being educated by the descendants of our historical oppressors. Therefore, they will be inundated with the almost-mythological greatness of George Washington, yet not given the opportunity to learn about the same magnitude of greatness shown by those who look like themselves. Men like Benjamin Hooks were every bit as bold, courageous and impactful as George Washington, and we must not forget that.

It's time to find ways to address this gap in our knowledge base, since our kids need something better. The educational opportunities that we fought for are being put to waste. Tactics of organization and black institution building have all but disappeared. Those who've given 40 years to the struggle for equality are having their legacies ruined by a FOX News soundbite. We must show greater respect to those who've cleared the way.


Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the new book, 'Black American Money.' To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.