To honor women in the commonwealth that have made their mark in history, seven women were inducted into the Kentucky Women Remembered Exhibit, and Gloria Watkins, also known by her pen name, bell hooks was among the inductees.
The Kentucky Women Remembered Exhibit was established in 1978 as a campaign by the Kentucky Commission on Women. The exhibit was initially a traveling display of watercolor portraits of Kentucky women in history. In 1996 the exhibit was permanently installed in the West Wing of the Kentucky State Capitol according to kywomenshistoryproject.com.
On March 22, Lonnie Ali, Jane Beshear, Sharon Currens, Hannah Drake, Peggy Purdom Patterson, Mary Margaret Mulvihill and Watkins were inducted into the exhibit. The seven women were the first group of women to be inducted since 2014.
Watkins was an author and activist who explored race, feminism, intersectionality and much more. Watkins was born and raised in Hopkinsville before she would go on to travel the country sharing her writing and social theories. Over the course of her career, Watkins published over 40 books and was a distinguished professor at Berea College. Watkins passed away in December of 2021.
Watkins’ sister and founder of the bell hooks legacy group in Hopkinsville, Gwenda Motley attended the induction and says she is grateful that the commission chose to spotlight her sister’s legacy along with other notable Kentucky women.
Motley also reflected on the recent local efforts to remember Watkins’ legacy. On March 1 a ceremony was held to rename a portion of 8th Street between South Virginia and Clay Streets to “bell hooks way” and the bell hooks Legacy Room in the Pennyroyal Area Museum was unveiled.
Motley says Watkins is being remembered on a local level and is happy that her legacy is also being remembered across the state.
Looking toward the future, Motley says she and the bell hooks Legacy Group will continue to work to make sure Watkins’ work and legacy is remembered.
Photo courtesy of Governor Andy Beshear on Facebook