Remembering Bell Hooks: A Beacon of Feminism and Social Critique

We lost a beacon of light on Wednesday, December 15, 2021. Bell Hooks, a pioneering author, poet, feminist, professor, and social critic, passed away at her home in Kentucky at the age of 69. Her profound influence spanned generations, touching the lives of those committed to dismantling systems of oppression.

A Sudden Loss Felt by Black Women Everywhere

I learned of her passing while scrolling through Instagram, and it stopped me. Before I could fully grasp it, posts from other Black women began flooding my feed. We were all hurting. Though most of us never knew her personally, it was clear that we lost someone who loved us and transformed our thinking. Bell Hooks gave us the courage to challenge the oppressive systems that impact Black women daily.

The Legacy of Bell Hooks: Honoring Her Roots

Born Gloria Jean Watkins, she was a great-grandmother’s name, Bell Blair Hooks, to honor female legacies. She preferred the lowercase spelling, focusing on her message rather than herself. At just 19, she began working on her first signifiAin’twork, Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism, published in 1981. The book revolutionized feminist theory by linking Black women’s history, race, gender, and class.

Academic Contributions and Institutions Bell Hooks Impacted

Bell Hooks was no stranger to academia. She earned her B.A. in English literature from Stanford University, her M.A. from the University of Wisconsin, and her Ph.D. from the University of California. She taught English and ethnic studies at the University of Southern California, African and Afro-American studies at Yale Univewomen’sand women’s studies at Oberlin College. Eventually, she became a professor in residence at Berea College in Kentucky, where she founded the Bell Hooks Institute in 2014.

Redefining Feminism: Bell Hooks on Black Feminism

Bell Hooks reshaped the way we think about feminism, particularly Black feminism. She helped clarify how anti-Blackness uniquely affects Black women and how there is a distinct language for this experience. Historically, feminism has been seen as a movement primarily defined by white women, but Hooks emphasized that Black women have always played a crucial role in these ideas of liberation. Her work helped me—and many others—navigate our place in the world as Black women.

Discovering My Voice ThHooks’Bell Hooks’ Work

The first Bell Hooks book Ain’td was Ain’t I a Woman. As an undergraduate, I struggled to find my voice as a young Black woman. I wrote for my university newspaper, focusing on injustices such as homelessness, poverty, and violence, but also issues centered around Black women. In a predominantly white institution, my opinions often made others uncomfortable or even angry.

At didn’t, I didn’t fully grasp how the systems of oppression I wrote about affected Black women specifically. I lacked the language to discuss how race, class, and gender intersected in my experiences. The more Hooks’read Hooks worked, the more I realized that my formalwouldn’ton wouldn’t be enough to liberate me. I needed to expand myself to save myself.

Feminism and Black Womanhood: An Evolving Understanding

Bell Hooks helped me understand that fighting racism means also fighting sexism. These battles are interconnected; we cannot address one without tackling the other. Her teachings encouraged me to question any system or narrative that failed to account for women’s experiences. Once I embraced this, I saw my Black womanhood in a new light.

Overcoming Hesitations About Feminism

Many Black women hesitate to identify as feminists because they see it as a concept belonging to white women. Bell Hooks challenged this notion by offering us an alternative view that suggested we, too, could be feminists. Alice Walker, another influential figure, coined the term” womanism,” which specifically spoke about women’s experiences. This expansion opened the door for many of us to embrace femiHooks’ Bell Hooks’ Radical Stance: Loving Blackness as Resistance.

In her 1992 book Black Looks: Race and Representation, Hooks presented the radical “l idea of “lovin'” Blackness” as a form of resistance. She introduced the conc “pt of the “opposite” of gaze,” urging Black feminist writers to expand their representations of what it means to be a revolutionary Black woman.

The Controversy Surrounding Beyoncé

In 2014, during a discussion at The New School, Bell Hooks shared her tBeyoncé’sn Beyoncé covemagazine magazine’s 100 Most Influential People issue. Hooks sparked controversy when sheBeyoncé’sd Beyoncé’s” image as “an “i-feminist” and even a “led her to a “terrorist,” referring to the impact of visual media on young girls.

This critique drew a strong response from scholars like Brittney C. Cooper, a professor at Rutgers University and co-founder of the Crunk Feminist Collective. Cooper argued that Black women like Beyoncé should be allowed to express their sexuality publicly without being labeled as harmful.

While I understood Hooks’ concern about unrealistic beauty standards for young girls, I agreed more with Cooper. Beyoncé was merely exploring her ideas of femHooks’ and Hooks’ vision of Black feminism at times felt overly restrictive.

All About Love: Lessons in Self-Love

All About Love: New Visions is my favorite bell hooks book. One of her most profound insights comes when she writes, “One of the best guides to how to be self-loving is to give ourselves the love we are often dreaming about receiving from others.” Hooks explains that we should not expect to receive love from someone else if we cannot give it to ourselves first. This realization was transformative for me and many others.

A Legacy of Words and Power

Bell Hooks, we thank you. For so many of us whose writing is grounded in your teachings, we will continue to use our words to speak truth to power. You taught “t us that “No Black woman writer in this culture can write too much.’ Indeed, no woman writer can write ‘too much’… No woman has ever won “ten enough” (Remembered Rapture: The Writer at Work).