bell hooks
Writer and academic, teacher and activist. Read and share some of her foundational work.
Desegregating Bowling Alleys
The bowling desegregation movement began during World War II, but wouldn’t end there.
How Black CB Radio Users Created an Audible Community
CB radio was portrayed as a mostly white enthusiasm in its heyday, but Black CB users were active as early as 1959.
Cedric Robinson and the Black Radical Tradition
Cedric Robinson proposed that the Black radical tradition was necessitated into existence by “racial capitalism.”
The Ghosts of Slavery in Charles Chesnutt’s Fiction
What begins as a magical escape from the horrors of plantation life soon turns into a spine-chilling testament to slavery’s dehumanizing effects.
Teaching Black Women’s Self-Care during Jim Crow
Maryrose Reeves Allen founded a wellness program at Howard University in 1925 that emphasized the physical, mental, and spiritual health of Black women.
The Work of Pioneering Musicologist Eileen Southern
The scholarship of Black music was transformed by Southern's work, and is now being honored by a new initiative.
Making Eyes on the Prize
One of the most influential historical documentaries of all time almost didn't get made.
How Black Americans Fought for Literacy
From the moment US Army troops arrived in the South, newly freed people sought ways to gain education—particularly to learn to read and write.
How Walter Rubusana Paved the Way for Nelson Mandela
Rubusana was the first Black politician elected to office in colonial South Africa.