The story of Belle Hooks

‘The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. The moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others.’

---Outlaw Culture: Resisting Representations in 1994 by Belle Hooks. 

Belle Hooks ( that is just her pen name, her real name is Gloria Jean Watkins) born on September 25, 1952, to a working-class African-American family, in Hopkinsville, a small, segregated town in Kentucky, who was later became a groundbreaking Black feminist, cultural critic, and author who dedicated her life to challenging the social structures that divide us.  In her early life, she called her living town “racial apartheid.”, and she called herself a country girl. It was this country girl who challenged the traditional white concept during that time.  In 1995, Utne Reader recognised her among its “100 Visionaries Who Can Change Your Life.” TIME honoured her in 2020 with its “100 Women of the Year,” dubbing Hooks a “rare rock star of a public intellectual.”

In her writing works, particularly in books like Ain’t I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism and All About Love: New Visions, emphasised the necessity of inclusive feminism. hooks advocated for a feminism that looked beyond the concerns of white, middle-class women to address the specific struggles of Black women, working-class women, and those whose voices were often overlooked. She introduced readers to the idea of "radical love" as a form of activism, calling for compassion, unity, and understanding as essential tools for creating real change.

Through her books, Hooks has inspired generations to see feminism as more than a movement for women’s rights, but a call for a world where all people can thrive, be their true selves, and live lives of love, justice, and peaceful coexistence. These books have advanced feminism as a movement for justice, healing, and liberation. She emphasises embracing feminism. 

I believe she is a great black feminist, also a great philosopher, though she left us almost 3 years ago. Her bravery, her intelligence can not be described with just one page, her spirit will inspire every reader to take action like spring rain that nourishes the earth. Happy Black History Month!