People who would interrupt a memorial service to spew racism - no one’s going to celebrate them, or honor them, or remember them five minutes after they’re gone. https://t.co/eq2GsZ4rpX ^JC

— Bluegrass Politics (@BGPolitics) January 26, 2022

The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning has contacted police after a group of racists tried to derail a Zoom memorial to bell hooks, the famed Berea author who died last month.

The invective started about 20 minutes into the Tuesday night Zoom program, which about 180 people were attending remotely, said Carnegie director Neil Chethik. Staff quickly shut it down and directed people to another, more secure site where they could continue to see authors such as Silas House and DaMaris Hill reminisce about hooks and read from her work.

About half the attendees returned, he said.

“It’s kind of pathetic,” Chethik said. “All they can do is scream anonymously from their bedrooms … it would be sad to be them.”