Icon of feminism, the author bell hooks died Wednesday, December 15 at the age of 69, her family announced in a press release relayed by her niece, Ebony Motley. She died in her Kentucky home “surrounded by family and friends,” her niece tweeted. Berea College in Kentucky, where she had taught since 2004, said she had fought against “a long illness”.
The family of @bellhooks is sad to announce the passing of our sister, aunt, great aunt and great great aunt. The author, professor, critic and feminist made her transition early this am from her home, surrounded by family and friends.
– Enter Ebony (@Enter_Ebony) December 15, 2021
Born Gloria Jean Watkins in 1952, bell hooks, her pen name (in lowercase) in tribute to her great-grandmother Bell Blair Hooks, had published her first collection of poems And There Wept in 1978. She was honored in 1981 for Ain’t I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism, in which she examined the impact of sexism and racism on black women, as well as racism within feminism, advocating for a more inclusive movement.
She then published some forty books, from poetry to children’s literature, exploring not only feminism, racism but also love. “We can love in a profound way that transforms the political world in which we live“, she declared in 2000.
Honored with many accolades throughout her career, hooks received a doctorate from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1983, after graduating from Stanford, and entered the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame in 2018. Her work is studied in many American universities.
“His writings – literary reviews, poetry, memoirs – are difficult to put in a single box. They deal with capitalism, American history, but also love and friendship. She fought for a new form of feminism, which takes into account the differences and inequalities among women, to create a new, more inclusive movement.“, writes the New York Times which pays homage to him.
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