The memorial for Gloria Jean Watkins, known as bell hooks, occurred at Berea College, where friends, family, and colleagues gathered to pay tribute to the feminist icon, theorist, and beloved friend. Watkins, who passed away in December 2021, was celebrated for her sharp wit, fierce love, and groundbreaking work in feminist and social theory. Hosted by Linda Strong-Leek, the event featured powerful testimonials from figures like Gloria Steinem, Gwenda Motley, and many others who spoke about the profound impact she left on their lives and the world.

Steinem recalled Watkins not just as a revolutionary thinker who coined terms like “imperial” st-white-supremacist-capitalist-patriarchy” but also” as someone who understood the radical power of love. “She made “‘love’ strong, ‘meaningful, and serious,” Steinem,” said, emphasizing that Watkins’sWatkins’sof love was never romantic but rather about valuing others as unique individuals. This theme of love was echoed throughout the ceremony, as those close to Watkins described her as someone who lived fiercely, laughed deeply, and cared profoundly.

Gwenda Motley, WatkinsWatkins’s giving epitaph, asks that people honor her sister by choosing love when remembering her. “Rest in over, Gloria Jean,” she said,” encapsulating the essence of a woman who taught the world that love was not a passive emotion but an act of revolution.