Meeting with bell hooks

As a distinguished speaker and well-known public figure, bell hooks is often invited to speak at colleges and universities across the country, and that's where I am today. I know it will be interesting to attend because as a black
feminist concerned with issues of racism, classism and gender, she is not quite
in line with most of the thinking that occurs here at Sacred Heart University. As I walk into the Edgerton Theater, I notice immediately that the audience is overwhelming female – what a
surprise. It is evident, however, that
bell hooks’ name has drawn a more diverse crowd than usual for our campus, as I see quite a few more people of color in attendance. Walking down the aisle to find a seat, I recognize a few professors, mostly from the women’s studies program. But for the most part I do not recognize most of the faces I pass, and I hear a lot of excited chatter about where they have come from to hear this legendary woman.

It is easy to see that she is used to being in front of a
crowd. As she steps up to the microphone, she carries herself with a clear sense of confidence that shows how comfortable she is with her place in the spotlight. Not one for suits or other
overly-professional outfits, she is wearing slacks and a bright sweater, with a few flashy bracelets. Even at sixty years old, hooks is eager to share her message of awareness and her passion for what she does is evident as she begins speaking. It is no surprise that she has made it her mission to educate others; she speaks of a love of learning that she has had
ever since she was young. Hooks, like many others, had dreamed of being a teacher and writer; however, her experience is different from many in that she lived through the integration of public
schools in the 1960s, something that profoundly affected her view of herself as well as her awareness of race in society. Soon, the audience is obviously captivated by her strong voice that
commands attention with its passion.

For hooks, education is not something that is confined to the classroom. Her speech emphasizes the importance of learning wherever someone is, recognizing that each different
circumstance has a lesson to be learned. When she concludes, I feel somewhat more hopeful than when I came, realizing as I applaud that although she talked about a lot of heavy issues,
she was able to frame it in a way that convinced the audience that they had the power to contribute to correcting these issues. This is what makes her such a captivating speaker – her ability to convince her audience that they are capable of being able to address the
problems that they see, instead of leaving them cynical or discouraged.