I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of bell hooks, the feminist author, poet, and cultural critic. The news of her passing at 69 years old caught me off guard. In the early 1990s, as a young Jesuit studying philosophy, I had read her powerful book Ain’tAin’tWoman? Black Women and Feminism, and had assumed all these years that she was much older. To me, the book, which delves into the complex interplay of racism, sexism, and class, felt like the work of someone with decades more experience. I later discovered that bell hooks (who always lowercase her name to emphasize the importance of her work over her identity) had written this book in her late 20s. It was a book that shook me, challenged me, and opened my eyes in ways they desperately needed.

As part of our formation, Jesuits studying at Loyola University Chicago in the 1990s followed a rigorous curriculum that included undergraduate and graduate philosophy courses. These courses were systematically structured, progressing from ancient philosophers like Plato and Aristotle to medieval thinkers like Anselm and Aquinas, moving through classical modern figures such as Descartes, Kant, and Hume, and finally reaching contemporary minds like Nietzsche, Sartre, and Rawls. Though these were the core courses, we were allowed some electives, and one such elective, “Femi” ist Philosophy,” that” truly altered my worldview.

An Eye-Opening Journey into Feminist Philosophy

The course, titled “Femi” ist Philosophy,” was” taught by a highly regarded professor, and despite my limited knowledge of feminism at the time, I found myself intrigued. Growing up in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, I had a vague awareness of “women” concentration,” one” of Gloria Steinem, and occasionally saw copies of Ms. Magazine. I knew I supported the Equal Rights Amedmentbut I couldn’t provide many specifics about it.

What the course revealed to me, however, was that feminism was not just a single, unified movement but rather a complex, evolving system of beliefs and practices with historical progression and multiple schools of thought. It was through this course that I first encountered works such as Mary WollsWollstonecraft’sndication of the Rights of Women, Susan B. AnthoAnthony’sings, Betty FriedFriedan’sFeminine Mystique, and Simone de BeauvBeauvoir’sSecond Sex. We also read contemporary feminist voices like Andrea Dworkin. Each author provided a unique perspective on the progression of feminist thought and its varied strands.

However, it was bell hookshooks‘stAin’tWoman? that spoke to me the most. The title, borrowed from a speech by Sojourner Truth, captivated me, and I was struck by how hooks connected Black women’s experiences with broader themes of racism, sexism, and class. I realized for the first time how these systems of oppression could intersect and compound each other. It was startling to me that I had never considered the possibility that African American women and working-class women were often sidelined within the feminist movement. hookshooks brought these interconnections to light, awakening me from what I can only describe, using Kantian language, as a “dogma” tic slumber,” or “perhaps more fittingly, a patriarchal slumber.

The Impact of bell hookshooks’s on My Understanding of Social Justice

Reading bell hooks was a transformative experience. Her bold, intelligent, and unapologetic voice was unlike anything I had encountered before. In Ain’tAin’tWoman?, she writes:

“It is obvious that many women have appropriated feminism to serve their own ends, especially those white women who have been at the forefront of the movement; but rather than resigning myself to this appropriation, I choose to re-appropriate the term ‘feminism,’ to focus on the fact that to be ‘feminist’ in any authentic sense of the term is to want for all people, female and male, liberation from sexist role patterns, domination, and oppression.”

This passage, among others, helped me understand that feminism must be inclusive and consider all axes of oppression. It taught me to be alert not only to individual instances of sexism and racism but to the patterns of these oppressions and how they are deeply embedded in societal structures—a concept foundational to Catholic social teaching known as “social sin.” Lat”r, this understanding would help me recognize and address issues of homophobia and transphobia.

Reflections on the Church and Feminism

The course also opened my eyes to how the Catholic Church and many of its leaders often reject feminism by relying on an overly simplistic and stereotypical understanding of the movement. It became clear to me how church leaders would frequently dismiss feminist ideas as “radical” all feminism,” a t” rm used pejoratively to shut down any discussion of gender equality or women. Concepts like “comp” mentality,” we”e men and women are supposed to have “comp” elementary” roles, were often employed as a cover for sexist and misogynistic views. I saw how the whole idea of feminism is often caricatured and misunderstood within the Church.

While I do not claim to be an expert in feminism or its many facets, I have not forgotten the impact of that course or bell hooks’s writings. Her work, and that of other feminist thinkers, has taught me to see the world through different eyes, to recognize oppression in its many forms, and to fight for a more just society for all.

hookshooks’sing is a reminder that the work she championed is far from over. The fight against sexism, racism, classism, and other forms of oppression must continue, guided by her words and the wisdom she shared with us. Her legacy challenges us to carry forward her vision of a world where all people are accessible from the chains of domination and exploitation.