HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Last week, kids from around Hopkinsville made themselves comfortable, sinking into beanbag chairs and couches in the bell hooks Legacy Room at the Pennyroyal Area Musuem for a special story time about Hopkinsville native, bell hooks.
Gwenda Motley took her place at the front of the room with a stack of books and a big smile on her face, greeting the patient group saying, “I want to share about a very special person, special to me of course, and I hope that one day she will be special to you as well. Her name is Gloria Watkins, and she just happened to be my sister.”
Motley continues to dedicate her time passing along the legacy and works of her sister, who is a nationally recognized writer and poet under the pen name bell hooks. During her life, hooks published 40 books that are mostly focused on feminism, race and class. A couple of her stand out titles are All About Love and Bone Black, also writing five children’s books which Motley read out loud that day.
The renowned author is fully engrained in Hopkinsville’s history with her face proudly displayed on a downtown mural, a street named in her honor, and a wing dedicated to her in the Pennyroyal Area Museum. Still, Motely finds that many locals are not aware of her legacy and impact, while people outside of the state are impressed by her humble origins. Since bell hooks passed away in December of 2021, Motely has prioritized introducing her sister’s works and life to the people of Hopkinsville, and throughout Kentucky.
Engaging with youth
“It’s been a wonderful journey to introduce, and present and share. Thats what I always say,” said Motley. “Hopkinsville has just embraced it, embraced her, embraced me in trying to continue this legacy.”
Motley told Christian County Now that she has lost track of the number of readings she has done with Hopkinsville youth. From young kids to high school students, she is continually inspired by their inquisitive minds and loves answering all the questions they pose about her sister’s books. Her most recent reading in the museum allowed the kids to be surrounded by artwork, furniture, and books owned by bell hooks, curating the perfect space for the story time.
She teaches them about the unique lowercase spelling of her sister’s pen name, while discussing the representation in her books. She also shared with the kids how bell hooks was a Hopkinsville High School alumni that went on to be a professor at multiple colleges. She hopes that teaching kids about local history at a young age will pique their curiosity as they continue to grow.
“On the one hand it’s an honor, on the other hand sometimes it’s a little emotional,” Motley told Christian County Now. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be completely there where something won’t spark an emotion.”
Motley has been instrumental in establishing and growing the bell hooks Legacy Group in Hopkinsville, composed of a small number of women in the community who are passionate about bell hooks’ works. They will continue to provide events in Hopkinsville in the future, with a special gathering in the works for bell hooks’ birthday in September.
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