My mentor’s mentor! She came to speak at my college in 2012 and it was a very compelling convocation. Everyone, I think, and this is a biased opinion since I knew them all personally, and loved every moment I spent time with them, needs to read Angela Davis, bell hooks, and Nikki Giovanni. More bias: especially Nikki Giovanni. Of the three she’s the one I spent the most time with even though bell hooks was my first boss.

I’ll also say this: Angela Davis was the only one who liked me at first impression 🤣 . bell hooks immediately didn’t like that I held a door open for her while being a white male. That interaction was how I learned what a microaggression was. I still hold doors open for old Black women though because I hold doors open for everyone. Nikki Giovanni’s annoyance with me was much more fair. I was the designated parking attendant for her at an event and she asked if she had room and I said “yes” because I thought she was pulling forward instead of backing up so she knocked both her taillights out backing into a wall because of me.

seriously…