bell hooks week!

“If I do not speak in a language that can be understood, then there is little chance for dialogue.” -bell hooks, from Talking Back: Thinking Feminist, Thinking Black

This week at the Ms. Blog, we are running a series of essays celebrating the life and works of the extraordinary bell hooks. hooks has made a significant impact on feminism, race theory, education, class politics, the mass media and many, many people’s lives. Here’s what’s up so far:

Audrey Bilger’s 10 years of ‘Feminism is for Everybody’ honors a classic feminist text.

In Where Do We Go From bell?, Mako Fitts discusses what the feminist movement looks like today, and how people can get involved.

Janell Hobson wonders What Would bell hooks Say? about recent cultural events and how hooks’ influence continues on.

Ileana Jiménez looks at how hooks’ books, specifically Teaching to Transgress, have transformed her high school classroom, her students, and herself,  in Teaching to Transgress in High Schools.

Susan E. King gives a glimpse of what hanging out with bell hooks in kentucky is like.

What do bell hooks, Snooki from Jersey Shore, and imperialism have in common? Amanda Montei tells us in The Perfect Tan: An Imperialist Fantasy?

Martha Pitts explains why bell hooks Is My Fairy Godmother

Feminism is a religious experience in Pam Redela’s Selling Feminism Door-to-Door

It’s All About Love for Ebony Utley, who continues hooks’ work on love by interviewing black women about their experiences with love and infidelity.

Ebony Utley misses bell hooks and Lauryn Hill in Black Women M.I.A.

Inspired by hooks’ essay “Seduced by Violence No More” in Transforming a Rape Culture, Natalie Wilson wonders What If You Refuse to Be Seduced by Violence?

Courtney Young explores the black man’s connection to feminism in Oscar Grant and LeBron James: What Would bell hooks Have Said?

In Breaking News: Lindsay Lohan Benefits From White Privilege!, Courtney Young looks at Lindsay Lohan through hooks’ writing on popular culture and whiteness.

Expect more fantastic posts on hooks throughout the week. You can check here for updates or visit bell hooks: Ms. Magazine.

In hooks’ honor, let’s create a dialogue. We want to hear your thoughts–what are your favorite books by bell hooks? When did you first read her work? How has she impacted your feminism? How do you bring hooks into your everyday life?

Photo from Flickr user Rainer Ebert under Creative Commons 2.0.

About

Kerensa Cadenas is a freelance writer who is obsessed with all things entertainment, pop culture, television and film. She lives in Los Angeles and is obsessed with that too.