bell hooks (1952-2021) was an American author, social critic, and teacher. Born Gloria Jean Watkins, the writer later changed her name to honor her great-grandmother. Her use of lowercase letters for her name was intended to draw attention to her work rather than her celebrity. hooks felt profoundly influenced by the women in her life, including her grandmother and childhood educators. The author grew up in a segregated community in Kentucky and was confronted daily with the intersecting oppressions of racism and sexism. Her father was a janitor, and her mother was a maid, working for white families in their homes. She felt inspired by her teachers, many of whom were Black women, who instilled in her a commitment to reading and learning and a desire to make the world a better place.

hooks studied English literature at Stanford University and earned an MA in 1976 from the University of Wisconsin. In 1983, hooks completed her PhD at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom, hooks explains that she was surprised by the limitations her college professors placed upon her and their lack of inclusivity. Her professors perpetuated the idea that hooks and other Black female students did not have the intellect required to participate fully in their fields.