Students and local community members lined up outside the doors of Drinko Hall Thursday evening to soak up the words of one of feminism’s most notable writers.
Inside the Saxbe Auditorium, people crammed into whatever space they could find — some sat on chairs, others on the stage, still others crouched in the aisles — all to listen to Gloria Jean Watkins, better known by her pen name “bell hooks,” discuss diversity.
The Women’s Studies Department, the Colleges of the Arts and Humanities, and the Office of Minority Affairs worked together to bring Watkins to Ohio State for her lecture “Ending Domination: Diversity Matters,” which included a Q-and-A session, Watkins’ views on diversity, and a reception afterward.
Watkins has written more than 20 books on the topics of gender, class and race. Thursday, she began her lecture by talking about “love,” one of the topics she has focused on extensively in recent years, and its critical role in diversity.
“Love is the foundation for all movement of social change,” she said. “Any time we do the work of love, we are ending domination.”
The audience, made up of women and men of all ages and ethnic backgrounds, listened intently as Watkins spoke on the subject of class and racial segregation, which she said still exists in modern society.
“One of the most delicate subjects among African-Americans is the reality of class differences and class conflicts,” she said. “And yet, today, class distinction has created a cultural context for our lives.”
In regard to media portrayals of African-Americans, Watkins spoke disappointedly of several of Chris Rock’s latest stunts, including his comments on Michelle Obama and his latest film, “Good Hair.” She also mentioned the novel “Push” by poet Sapphire, and the upcoming film, “Precious,” based on the book.
“Things that become spectacle do not empower us,” Watkins said. “I don’t believe in censorship — I believe in critical readership.”
Watkins encouraged the audience to think critically and to ask questions.
“If I sat around thinking about being a black woman all day and thought of all the things that weren’t open up to me [because of that], I’d never have gotten around to writing all my books.”
She said it is absolutely necessary to embrace diversity “as a practice.”
“When we invite diversity, we also invite much that we don’t understand,” she said. “I think that’s crucial to the awareness that we need to have.”
