Good Question: Why isn’t bell hooks’ name capitalized in our coverage?

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Recent discussions on African American literature have included a well-known Kentucky author. That’s also led to some questions about how her name is written.

Today’s Good Question is one several viewers have asked us: Why isn’t bell hooks’ name capitalized in your coverage on air and online?

Author and activist bell hooks was born in Kentucky, and recently her name has come up a lot because she was one of several Black authors removed from Advanced Placement courses about African American history.

hooks was born Gloria Jean Watkins, she chose her pen name to honor her late grandmother, Bell Blair Hooks.

But, hooks said she preferred to have her first and last name written with all lowercase letters, to focus on her message rather than herself.

On the webpage for the bell hooks center at Berea College, you can see her name continues to be written in lowercase.

If you have a Good Question you’d like us to try to answer, send it to goodquestion@wkyt.com.

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