Today in Black History: September 25th

Bell hooks, born Gloria Jean Watkins in 1952, was a prominent writer and scholar who published over forty works examining the intersections of race, gender, and class. She adopted her lowercase pen name to emphasize her ideas rather than her identity, and established herself as a significant voice with her 1981 book "Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism. " Meanwhile, Charles "Sonny" Liston overcame a difficult childhood and imprisonment to become heavyweight boxing champion on September 25, 1962, when he knocked out Floyd Patterson.