@savedbythebellhooks

This #thankyouthursday I am grateful for @savedbythebellhooks.

As I’ve noted before, “Seeking and achieving social justice is a marathon, not a sprint.” But that doesn’t mean every step has to be grueling.

That’s why I really appreciate whoever started the Instagram account that pairs quotes from the feminist, antiracist, Black female author bell hooks with screen grabs from the dated TV sitcom Saved by the Bell.

I just love considering that the crew of American high schoolers in the early 90s actually was having the conversations superimposed on them in these images.

Imagine if Mr. Belding really had been telling Zack and Slater that, “to indoctrinate boys into the rules of patriarchy, we force them to feel pain and to deny their feelings.”

Or if Zack really had faced the camera and told us that, "Whether or not any of us become racists is a choice we make. And we are called to choose again and again where we stand on the issue of racism at different points in our life."

I believe it’s important to meet people where they’re at, and that includes making challenging topics accessible. So I think @savedbythebellhooks is doing a great service by publicizing thought-provoking quotes in an entertaining context.

I am continuing to learn, and I am grateful.

Love > fear,
Christina