bell hooks, who passed away on December 15, 2021, at 69, leaves a profound legacy of four decades of pioneering feminist scholarship. Her death is a significant loss, especially for those who learned from her what it means to be a Black woman in love with herself, the world, and the life of the mind. With hooks’ passing, we have lost a pair of hands that held up Black women—and all women—as inherently valuable. Her influence on my journey of self-discovery and empowerment will forever be etched in my bones and the hearts and minds of those she inspired.

A Life of Intellectual Pursuit and Advocacy

Born Gloria Jean Watkins in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, in 1952, hooks chose her pen name in honor of her maternal great-grandmother, bell Blair hooks. She used a lowercase version of her name to emphasize “the substance of books, not who I am” and to inspire others to focus on their work rather than personal fame. This choice reflected her deep respect for her matrilineal heritage and set the tone for her life’s work. Her family’s accounts reveal that hooks was an avid reader and writer even from a young age, declaring she would be famous one day. Her love of reading—whether it was Shakespeare, Little Women, or other classics—fueled her “great thirst for knowledge,” which she later transformed into her life’s work.

Growing up in a racially and economically stratified Southern town, hooks faced the dual challenges of racial and gender discrimination. Her intellectual gifts were evident early on; she graduated from a newly integrated high school and majored in literature at Stanford University. She earned her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and her PhD from the University of California at Santa Cruz, where she wrote her dissertation on Toni Morrison.

Influence and Impact in the Classroom and Beyond

hooks thrived as a scholar, teacher, and writer, quickly gaining a following both within and beyond academic circles. Her work was characterized by a confident wisdom and ease with which she addressed complex topics from a Black woman’s perspective. Rachel Kahan, her editor at William Morrow, noted that hooks’ work is being embraced by new readers globally. “When All About Love hit the New York Times bestseller list last year for the first time, two decades after it was first published, bell and I shared an incredibly emotional moment on the phone,” Kahan recalled. “We were both thrilled to see that the fruits of her labor kept multiplying from generation to generation.”

My journey in hooks’ work began with a dog-eared copy of Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery. Her writing helped me to understand the microaggressions and social constructs I faced because of my dark skin and natural hair. She was radical not only for her critiques of racism, patriarchy, and capitalism but also for her attention to the emotional and spiritual needs of Black women. She emphasized that Black women deserved self-love and self-care, challenging the societal narrative that often devalued them.

A Voice for Radical Love and Self-Affirmation

hooks fought both on and off the page, using her platform to speak out against the systemic oppression of Black women and to advocate for a love ethic that is deeply radical and ethical. In All About Love: New Visions, she argued that love is not just a feeling but a verb, an action that requires constant nurturing. She believed that love could not exist in a power struggle or the process of abuse and urged her readers to cultivate self-love before seeking it from others.

Her work extended beyond feminist theory to critique the broader social and cultural constructs that perpetuate inequality and injustice. In her essay “A Pornography of Violence,” found in Writing Beyond Race, she argued that telling personal stories is not enough; it is about what we make of those stories. hooks used her experiences to map out a path for others to explore their identities and seek authenticity and self-affirmation.

Legacy of a Trailblazing Feminist Thinker

Throughout her career, hooks collaborated with other Black scholars and intellectuals, such as Cornel West, and wrote prolifically as the sole author of over 40 volumes. Her work spoke directly to me and countless others, offering a framework for understanding the intersections of race, gender, and class.

“Healing occurs through testimony, through gathering everything available to you and reconciling,” hooks wrote, capturing the essence of her mission to foster community, understanding, and love. Her book Sisters of the Yam was meant to serve as a map, guiding readers back to the “place dark and deep within us, where we were first known and loved.”

As we mourn the loss of bell hooks, we also celebrate her legacy, which teaches us to reach for love, truth, and justice. Her time has come to rest in the darkness she explored so thoroughly, but her light will continue to guide us in our journey of self-discovery and empowerment. Her work is a testament to the power of love, community, and resistance against oppression; we are all the better for having been touched by her wisdom.