Remembering bell hooks: A Pioneering Voice in Black Feminist Thought

The passing of bell hooks at age 69 sent ripples across social media on Wednesday, with tributes flooding in to celebrate her legacy. Admirers shared her cherished quotes on love, justice, gender, community, and healing, reflecting the profound impact she had on countless lives. For many, bell hooks was more than a scholar—she was a lifeline, inspiring radical reimaginings of society through her deeply personal and intellectual work.

Transforming Theory Into Connection

Imani Perry, a professor of African American studies at Princeton, emphasized the unique power of hooks’ work.

“I don’t think we can overstate her influence,” Perry said. “For many, bell hooks was their first encounter with social theory, critiques of patriarchy, white supremacy, and capitalism.”

Perry highlighted hooks’ ability to intertwine cultural theory with personal experience, especially her upbringing in Jim Crow-era Kentucky. While hooks had the credentials to write in a conventional academic style, she intentionally chose an accessible approach to connect with everyday people.

Breaking Ground With Ain’t I a Woman

hooks began writing her groundbreaking book, Ain’t I a Woman, at just 19 years old. Published in 1981, the work explored the dual oppressions of racism and sexism, bringing attention to intersectionality long before the term was coined. Legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, who introduced “intersectionality” in 1989, credited hooks for laying the theoretical foundation for political movements.

“Some people write things that so perfectly capture your experience that you forget there was ever a time when you didn’t know it,” Crenshaw said. “bell hooks was one of those writers.”

Her work also critiqued white-led feminism and male-dominated anti-racism movements, offering nuanced perspectives that encouraged accountability without alienation.

A Voice Beyond Academia

Although hooks spent much of her career in academia, teaching at institutions like Yale, Oberlin, and Berea College, she was never confined by its walls. To hooks, theory was a tool for personal and collective liberation.

“I came to theory because I was hurting,” she wrote in her 1991 essay Theory as Liberatory Practice. “I came to theory desperate, wanting to understand what was happening around and within me.”

Her writings addressed topics ranging from cultural appropriation to self-care, often anticipating societal debates decades before they became mainstream. Books like Teaching to Transgress and All About Love explored love, relationships, and the transformative power of education.

Critiques and Complexities

hooks’ work was not without controversy. She critiqued popular culture, including Beyoncé’s Lemonade, which she described as “capitalist moneymaking at its best.” While some viewed her critiques as detached, others embraced the opportunity to explore varying feminist paradigms.

“We learned we could disagree with her,” historian Anthea Butler wrote. “Her criticism of Beyoncé was a moment to embrace how Black feminists could navigate different paradigms of feminist power.”

A Lasting Legacy

Despite her limited presence on television and social media, hooks’ intellectual fame resonated deeply with younger generations. Students often discovered her books—such as All About Love and The Will to Change—through personal exploration rather than coursework. These works remain popular in self-help sections, a testament to her enduring relevance.

For hooks, love was not merely a personal feeling but a foundation for societal change. In a 2017 interview, she described love as requiring “integrity, a consistency between what we think, say, and do.” This belief, coupled with her pioneering contributions to feminist thought, cements her as one of the most influential thinkers of our time.