Prominent intellectual, professor, activist, and feminist bell hooks passed away this week due to end-stage renal disease. A pioneering force in Black feminist thought, she authored 40 books, received numerous awards and honors, and introduced countless readers to intersectionality long before it became a widely recognized term. Gloria Jean Watkins, known by her pen name bell hooks (in tribute to her maternal great-grandmother), left an indelible mark on women’s studies, Black studies, and the helping professions. She was a gifted writer who gently and creatively challenged the dominant beliefs and assumptions shaping our worldview. Her words addressed the personal pain and systemic oppression present in our country, which too many still try to dismiss or deny.

In her memory, I want to highlight three groundbreaking ideas that broadened readers’ awareness of race, gender, class, and intersections while reflecting on her compassion and authenticity.

“Feminism is for everybody.” A colleague once shared on social media that she named a course on fFeminismand therapy after one of bell hooks’ books titled FFeminismIs for Everybody. For hooks, feminism is about the empowerment of everyone by breaking free from the constraints imposed by patriarchy, classism, racism, and various forms of social hierarchy. Feminism, according to hooks, is about the ability to exist without fear of domination, coercion, or not meeting societal expectations. It’s about not fearing rejection for not conforming to rigid societal standards. She believed feminist politics “always bring us from bondage to freedom, from lovelessness to loving.” Additionally, hooks wrote about the experience of queerness as “being about the self that is at odds with everything around it, and that has to invent, create, find a place to speak, thrive, and live.” This perspective is profoundly compelling and meaningful.

“True resistance begins with people confronting pain…and wanting to change it.” hooks argued that if we acknowledge and confront our pain and choose to act, we can initiate transformative change in our lives. Resisting patriarchy and white supremacy, for instance, involves critically examining how these ideologies shape what is perceived as desirable and possible and how they influence what is presented and represented in popular media—and why. Are we made to feel that we are enough? Do we see ourselves as beautiful? Or do we feel pressured to alter our appearance—through makeup, extreme workouts, or steroids—to feel worthy of respect and love?

Reclaiming the concept of love as ethic and justice in action. hooks emphasized, “Love is an action, never simply a feeling.” She described love not as an abstract, all-encompassing fantasy but as a set of ethics, principles, values, and behaviors. She wrote, “To begin by always thinking of love as an action rather than a feeling is one way in which anyone using the word in this manner automatically assumes accountability and responsibility.” What does this look like in practice? hooks also stated, “rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.” Rather than viewing love as a series of emotional highs and lows, it should be seen as the foundation of an ethical practice and a call to action. Love is about community and communion with others, seeking healing and care.

I had the privilege of meeting bell hooks and conversing with her twice over the years. Her humanity was unparalleled. The personal was deeply political in the here and now for her and those around her. This wasn’t just a slogan but a relational ethic she passionately embodied in real time. She was a remarkable intellectual with an astonishingly productive career. Yet, beyond her incredible intelligence and insight, she was kind and generous. She showed no signs of arrogance, bravado, or ego. Unlike many well-known figures, she was an anti-diva—humble, approachable, and genuinely present. (During an event we hosted in Houston, she not only asked to hold our youngest child but did so with grace.) When speaking truth to power or calling out those who committed injustices, her voice remained calm and clear, devoid of resentment, hostility, or disdain. She possessed all the qualities one could hope for in an ally. Experiencing her soulful presence was genuinelyexcellentl. Her loss will be deeply felt, but her wisdom lives on in her writings.