bell hooks

Overview

bell hooks (née Gloria Jean Watkins) born Hopkinsvillle, KY September 25, 1952. African-American feminist, writer, and nonviolent social activist; anti-militarist, anti-imperialist. Follower of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Quotations

“The greatest movement for social justice our country has ever known is the civil rights movement and it was totally rooted in a love ethic.”

“Central to that love is the question of forgiveness. . . the civil rights movement. . . was so effective, because it urged people to value forgiving one's enemies.” (CNN interview, Feb. 17, 2000)

“Advocates of feminism who are concerned about militarism must insist that feminists must insist that women are not inherently life-affirming or non-violent. Many women who mother are very violent. . . Feminists must insist that women who do choose (whether or not they are inspired by motherhood) to denounce violence, domination, and its ultimate expression—war—are political thinkers making political choices.” (Talking Back, p. 95; photo Charlie Rose)