Bell Hook, Black Feminist Author, Dies At The Age Of 69. We Lost A Literary Gem

Being a literature student for the last 5 years, there are a lot of thinkers and authors that I’ve come across. One of them being Bell Hooks. The woman whose theory changed the way black women were perceived. She is the one who said that black women were at the bottom of the social hierarchy. I remember reading her books and her theories, I can tell you that it has impacted me a lot. In fact, I would go ahead and even say that she shaped the woman that I am. As someone who is a fan of her work, with a heavy heart I’m writing this that Gloria Jean Watkins aka Bell Hooks died at the age of 69. 

Gloria Jean Watkins who was a black feminist author and an intellectual wrote pioneering work under the name of her pen name of Bell Hooks. She died on Wednesday at her home in Berea, Kentucky.

Gwenda Motley and Valeria Watkins, sisters of Bell Hooks, posted a statement on Twitter, saying, “The family of Gloria Jean Watkins is deeply saddened at the passing of our beloved sister.” She was the fourth of seven siblings.

Gloria Jean Watkins aka Bell Hooks who was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky in the year 1952. And by the end of her life, she had written about 40 books that had been translated into 15 different languages.

Throughout her life, Bell Hooks had studied in several universities after which she moved back to Kentucky and was teaching at Berea College. The Berea College even had established the Bell Hooks Center that would be an inclusive space for students who have been historically under-represented.

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As per Hindustan Times, she was one of those who created a storm during the racial justice protests. In fact, the works of Bell Hooks created such an urgency that it shook the United States during the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Gloria’s work in feminism, racism, gender, etc. drew attention recently during the 2020 protests. No wonder that when Hooks passed away, a lot of people paid her a tribute on social media. 

Honestly, I mourn the loss of such a groundbreaking thinker. And even though Gloria Jean Watkins is not with us anymore, she will keep living on through her work and her legacy.