‘Becoming bell hooks’ Documentary Explores Feminist Author’s Deep Roots

The documentary features words from the late Kentucky author, read by Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer and commentary from hooks' sister.

Kentucky Educational Television (KET) has produced and released Becoming bell hooks, a documentary honoring legendary feminist author and Kentucky native bell hooks.

The film explores how hooks’ 40 books on the intersection of race, class, and gender created an enduring legacy and made feminism accessible for all, KET wrote in the documentary’s description. The project examines hooks’ small-town Kentucky upbringing and how her “hillbilly” roots shaped the conviction that “feminism belongs to everybody.”

The documentary features words from hooks, read by Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer, and interviews with feminist activist Gloria Steinem, Kentucky writers Crystal Wilkinson and Silas House, and bell’s younger sister, Gwenda Motley, to help bring hooks’ story together.

“It’s hard to imagine anyone who wouldn’t be enchanted, educated, and made happier by her books,” Steinem said, according to Hoptown Chronicle. The activist called hooks “one of the most universal writers and universal people.”

Born Gloria Jean Watkins in 1952 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, she penned her first poetry collection under the pen name “bell hooks,” adapted from her great-grandmother Bell Blair Hooks. She intentionally lowercased her name to emphasize substance over celebrity. After publishing several acclaimed works on racism, sexism, and economic injustice, hooks died at age 69 in December 2021 at her Berea home following a prolonged illness.

The Feb. 27 documentary premiere coincided with preview screenings in Louisville and Lexington to honor hooks’ advocacy. KET posted a special thanks to students Savannah B., Akhira U., Deidra W., Jazmin W., and Meg W., who read an excerpt from one of hooks’ works, “Belonging: A Culture of Place.”

In 2023, hooks’ works, alongside the works of other Black authors, were removed from The College Board’s official curriculum for its new Advanced Placement (AP) course in African American studies. The expulsion followed criticism from Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education, which stated such works “lacked educational value.” However, that is no longer the case. Currently, hooks’, as well as other scholars and authors, work is included in the recently released AP® African American Studies for 2024 – 2025 and available for viewing.