Two End-of-Year Talks: bell hooks' Labors of Love and the Power of the Humanities

“When I travel around the nation giving lectures about ending racism and sexism, audiences, especially young listeners, become agitated when I speak about the place of love in any movement for social justice. Indeed, all the great movements for social justice in our society have strongly emphasized a love ethic. Yet young listeners remain reluctant to embrace the idea of love as a transformative force. To them, love is for the naïve, the weak, the hopelessly romantic. Their attitude is mirrored in the grown-ups they turn to for explanations.”

~ bell hooks, All About Love: New Visions (2001)

Upcoming Presentations

Before the end of the year I’ll be delivering two in-person public presentations. The first, on bell hooks’ unique contribution to understanding human oppression, will take place on Sunday, November 27, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tarpon Springs, Florida.

The second on the power of the humanities to clarify our existential priorities will take place on Sunday, December 11th, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of St. Augustine. Each of the events is open to the general public and is free of cost.

Those who are interested in the talks but unable to physically attend are welcome to join online as each will streamed live via the hosts’ website. For more information click the link embedded into each of the flyers below.

10:30am, Sunday, November 27: bell hooks: Intellectual Labors of Love

On December 15, 2021, the world lost one of the great public intellectual voices of our day: pioneering black feminist, bell hooks. In this talk hosted by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tarpon Springs, I will discuss hooks’ contributions to feminist thought. In particular I explain how hooks’ rejection of narrow and reductionist visions of oppression help us to understand the interconnectedness of racism, militarism, sexism, and classism. hooks’ challenged us to do more than identify an easy, singular oppressor. She taught us to realize our own contribution to pain and injustice, and to consider that privilege comes at a higher than realized price. hooks’ works of cultural analysis also stand out for their plain-spoken style and admitted concern for her subject, rejecting the cold, pedantic, and obscure style of many intellectuals.

10am, Sunday, December 11: Getting Our Priorities Straight: Humanities and the Art of Living

The humanities continue to be undermined by funding cuts and demands to center education on strictly defined workplace roles. In this talk, before the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of St. Augustine, I draw on my experience as a high school dropout turned humanities professor to argue that the humanities offer college students and lifelong learners invaluable lessons in the art of living well. Great works of performing, visual, and language arts fortify us, spiritually and morally. They help us to recognize the too often overlooked distinction between the means and ends of life—the difference between the secular and the sacred.

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