Rooks received his undergraduate degree at Prairie View A&M before attending University of Connecticut for his Master of Social Work.
[4] Rooks got his start in community organizing in Connecticut, where he knocked on doors and built coalitions to advocate for policy change.
[4] There, he helped pass legislation to eliminate disparities in sentencing for crack and powder cocaine, making Connecticut the first state in the nation to do so.
[10][11][12] Rooks organized the ‘Yes on 47’ campaign to help pass 2014 California Proposition 47, a ballot initiative that reclassified certain low-level felonies as misdemeanors.
[13][14] In Illinois, Rooks helped pass the Neighborhood Safety Act, which expanded access to trauma recovery services for crime survivors and incentivized people in prison to participate in rehabilitation programs.