HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The City of Hopkinsville and the bell hooks legacy group unveiled a new street sign on Friday to honor the American writer, educator and cultural critic Gloria Jean Watkins. The street sign was named “bell hooks Way,” in rememberance of Watkins who was otherwise known was bell hooks.
She was a Hopkinsville native who earned her acclaim for her writings on feminism, race and class. She died on Dec. 15, 2021.
Attendees gathered at the Pennyroyal Area Museum to pay tribute to bell hooks and remember her legacy. Guest speakers included Jada Poindexter from the Hopkinsville Human Rights Commission, Mayor J.R Knight, singer Chasity Mumford and Gwenda Motley, who is Gloria Jean Watkins sister.
“We are so grateful for this recognition of Gloria standing as one of Hopkinsville’s most remarkable and talented native daughters,” Motley said. “We sincerely appreciate everyone who had a hand in making this possible.”
The dedication ended with a closing from Hopkinsville’s Literacy Council, Francene Gilmer, and the opening of the new bell hooks Legacy Room at the museum.
Bell hooks Way sits at the corner of Eighth Street between South Virginia and Clay. It is across from the old Carnegie Library where Watkins grew up reading as a young girl.