As part of her final residency at The New School, bell hooks, noted Black feminist cultural critic and scholar, engaged in a dialogue with writer and public speaker, Kevin Powell.
The topic of hooks’ and Powell’s discussion was Black men and Black masculinity; from the dangers Black men face living in a world that too often stereotypes Black men as a threat, to the manner in which Black men engage in sexism and misogyny, despite the obstacles placed in their lives by material and psychological manifestations of racism and white supremacy.
What follows is a passionate, refreshing, hilarious, and deeply attentive dialogue pertaining to the lives of Black men in the United States.
One of the most poignant moments in the dialogue arises when hooks’ launches a critique of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ new book, Between the World and Me. Delivered in a manner that is equally irreverent and sharp, hooks asserts that Coates’ book, while marketed as a series of letters to young Black men, is actually written with a white, middle-class audience in mind- suggesting disingenuous motives on Coates’ part, and/or on the part of the book’s marketing team.
Overall, a worthwhile dialogue, especially for those of us with a deep-seated interest in the lives of Black men.
written by staff member Malik Thompson