I first met bell hooks in the late 1980s at a feminist conference. Due to an overbooked meeting, I and several other graduate students slept on the floor of her hotel suite. From that moment, our relationship spanned over three decades, during which we became colleagues and intellectual partners and even sometimes disagreed. Despite our differences, we shared a mutual respect and solidarity that I will forever cherish. The loss of bell hooks leaves a profound void in the lives of those who knew and admired her.

The Life of Gloria Jean Watkins, a.k.a. Bell Hooks

Gloria Jean Watkins, better known by her pen name bell hooks, passed away on December 15, 2021, at 69 in her Berea, Kentucky home. Born to working-class parents in the Jim Crow South, she later earned a scholarship to attend Stanford University. While there, she worked as a telephone operator to support herself financially. Inspired by her outspoken great-grandmother, hooks adopted her famous pen name, choosing lowercase letters to reject ego. Over the years, hooks established herself as one of the foremost feminist intellectuals and radical thinkers, addressing various subjects, including capitalism, imperialism, education, masculinity, beauty, and love.

Her passing is a monumental loss, but the outpouring of tributes demonstrates her work’s deep and broad influence and the enduring power of her legacy.

Bell Hooks: A Prolific and Provocative Voice

An Unrelenting Critic and Provocateur

Bell Hooks was a fiercely prolific writer, penning over 40 books that ranged from children’s literature to accessible theories. The titles of her books themselves reveal her intellectual framework and political philosophy. One of her most influential works, Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center (1984), challenged feminists to adopt a more inclusive and democratic approach to Feminism that acknowledged all genders and rejected capitalist hierarchies. In this text, she criticized mainstream bourgeois white feminists who perpetuated other systems of domination. Similarly, in Feminism is for Everybody, hooks sought to make feminist ideas accessible to a broad audience.

Her other works, such as Teaching to Transgress, Breaking Bread: Insurgent Intellectual Life (co-written with Cornel West), and Remembered Rapture: The Writer at Work, expressed her belief in the transformative power of books and ideas. “My writing is a form of activism,” Hooks” once told me.

Defining Feminism on” Her Terms

While Hooks was undoubtedly a feminist, she was far from what one might call a “friendly” feminist. She was a sharp critic of “c, const” and constantly questioned and challenged ideas, even within feminist circles. In one essay, she asked, “Do we have to call every woman sister?” “or Hooks, Feminism was not about biological ties or essentialist identities but about shared political values and struggles. Rather than embracing the more academic term “intersectionality,” Hooks preferred the “direct language of “imperialist-white supremacist-capitalist “patriarchy” to describe the interconnected systems “of oppression. She believed in the power of naming problems clearly and boldly.

Hooks wasn’t afraid to critique even those withwasn’t community, including Black women, when their views did not align with her politics. She directed criticism toward everyone from mainstream academics to capitalist pop stars when they failed to challenge the systems she fought against.

A Rigorous Thinker with a Commitment to Accessibility

Bringing Ideas to Diverse Audiences

While Bell Hooks’ writings are widely taught in classrooms worldwide, her primary concern was making her ideas accessible to a broad and diverse audience. She wanted her words to resonate with academics and grassroots communities, from kitchen tables to prison yards. One of the most profound examples of Hooks’ impact came from a group of incarchooks men in California who formed a feminist study group to challenge toxic masculinity. Their project, featured in the 2018 documentary The Feminists in Cell Block Y, was inspired by the writings of bell hooks. Her words, they said, transformed their lives.

Vulnerability and Truth in Writing

Hooks’ ability to connect with such a widHooks’ence came from her willingness to be vulnerable and transparent about her life. She opened up about her struggles, including an abusive relationship and a difficult childhood. Her father, whom she described as oppressive, could also be protective and kind. These personal revelations made her theoretical work all the more relatable and powerful.

Unlike some writers who distance themselves from their topics, hooks invited readers to feel and experience the world through her eyes. For her, everything began and ended with love. She once wrote, “The moment we begin to love, we begin to “move against domination.” However, her willingness to speak uncomfortable truths meant she didn’t always receive love in return. At did n’tege commencement speech in Texas, a year after 9/11, she condemned war, violence, and racism and was met with boos. But Hooks never shied away from opposition—she took her radical Black feminist politics everywhere.

The Enduring Impact of Bell Hooks

A Career Path Forged by Passion

Bell Hooks forged her path, refusing to follow conventional career trajectories. She spoke her truths, changing the hearts and minds of countless people along the way. The tributes that have poured in since her death are a testament to the lives she touched, the careers she launched, and the isolation she helped others overcome. Though her physical presence is gone, her work inspires and empowers.

A memory shared by Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, a close friend of Hooks for 40 years, illustrates Hooks’ profound bond with those in her life. She recounted their last meeting: “When I saw her at her home in Berea on November 25, I thought it might be the last time. I told her I would always love her and her writings…” Guy-Sheftall’s tribute reflects the dee” Guy-Sheftall’sections hooks fostered, not just through her writings but through her friendships.

A Foundational Force in Feminism

Bell Hooks will forever remain a foundational figure in Black feminist thought and practice, influencing movements that strive to dismantle imperialism, white supremacy, capitalism, and patriarchy. As we reflect on her life and work, we can rest assured that her legacy will continue to guide and inspire future generations.

Rest in power, bell hooks. Your work is done, and we are all better because of it.