His intellect was recognized from an early age and he attended the leadership school in the Voodoo Sacré Society.
Cooks' involvement in the UNIA comes as no surprise as both his uncle and father were among the many St. Martiners who were members of the Marcus Garvey-led organization.
[1] He was a key link in the history of Black American nationalism between Marcus Garvey before him and Malcolm X, whom he influenced.
[citation needed] Cooks coined the phrase "buy Black" many years before it was popularized by others, The Amsterdam News reported.
Cooks argued that all Garvey's actions were devoted towards the upliftment and improvement of the status of Black People in the United States of America.