- Author and feminist leader bell hooks died at the age of 69.
- She had an undisclosed illness, according to a press statement from her niece.
Kentucky-based author and feminist bell hooks has died at age 69.
hooks, whose real name was Gloria Jean Watkins, had an undisclosed illness and was with friends and family when she died on December 15 at her home in Berea, Kentucky, her niece, Ebony Motley, said in a press statement shared with the Lexington Herald Leader.
As an author, hooks used her great-grandmother's name in all lower case as her pen name, according to the Herald Leader.
Her first book, "Ain't I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism" — the title taken from the 1851 speech Sojourner Truth gave at the Women's Convention about the unique experiences of black women — was published in 1981 and is acclaimed as an introduction to intersectional feminism in literature in which hooks unpacks the the impact class, race, and gender had on Black womanhood historically.
She went on to publish more than 40 books over the course of her career, with topics focusing on feminism, racism, culture, politics, gender roles, love, and spirituality.
hooks often said her work drew on inspiration from her experiences and optimism for a better future away from systems of oppression.
In the 1980s, hooks established a support group for Black women called the Sisters of the Yam, later naming her seventh book in 1993 after the group.
"I want my work to be about healing," hooks' said in 2018 according to The Herald Leader. "I am a fortunate writer because every day of my life practically I get a letter, a phone call from someone who tells me how my work has transformed their life."
Starting in 2004, hooks taught at Berea College in Kentucky, and the school later opened the bell hooks Institute at Berea College.
Her collection of African-American art, personal items, and her books are all housed at this institute.