The public is invited to a March 1 dedication of a street and legacy room named in honor of Hopkinsville native and renowned author bell hooks.
The City of Hopkinsville and the bell hooks Legacy Group will host the ceremony, which will unveil bell hooks Way -— formerly Eighth Street between South Virginia and Clay Streets.
Following the street dedication, attendees are invited to the Pennyroyal Area Museum for the opening of the newly created bell hooks Legacy Room.
These two events will collectively commemorate bell hooks Legacy Day, honoring the memory of Gloria Jean Watkins, the writer, educator, and cultural critic who penned her works under the name bell hooks.
She adopted the pen name from her great-grandmother and gained international recognition for her writings on feminism, race, and class.
She died on December 15, 2021, in Berea.
The Hopkinsville City Council approved the renaming of the street in response to a request from bell hooks’ sister, Gwenda Motley, and other advocates who aim to highlight the writer’s impact on her hometown. Motley expressed the family’s excitement about having a street named in bell hooks’ honor.
The choice of Eighth Street holds significance as it is located next to the Carnegie Library, which served as the main public library in Hopkinsville during Gloria Watkins’ childhood. According to Alissa Keller, executive director of the Museums of Historic Hopkinsville and Christian County, it was at this library that she had access to numerous books that played a crucial role in her intellectual development.
The street dedication will be on Friday, March 1 at 1:30.
