ABSTRACT
Thismultifaceteduniquenessdeservesscrutinyinthatitmay givesomecluestobellhooks'sintellectualcontributionstoour timeandtheheavypriceshepays.First,afewpreliminaryrulesof Americanintellectuallife.Intheacademy,Blackpeopleareusually viewedasguilty(i.e.,unabletomeet"standards"ofexcellence) untilproveninnocent(i.e.,takenseriouslybytheacademy).Furthermore,Blackwomenareoftenperceivedascongenitallyguilty andhencefrequentlybereftofseriousmentorswhobelieveintheir intellectualcapacityandpotential.Theserulesareduenotsimply tothechronicracistandpatriarchalsensibilitiesinthelifeofthe Americanmind,butalsototheinstinctivethreatBlackwomen's high-qualityintellectualpresenceposestotheinterpersonaldynamicsofacademicculture.Theclosely-knitcommunitiesofintellectualsinAmericanlife-whichincludesomeBlackmen-tendto providelittleornospaceinwhichBlackwomen'sintelligencecan betakenseriously,thatis,affirmedinacriticalmodeorcontested inanenablingway.AttimesitseemsthemereappearanceoflinguisticstylesandsocialgesturesoftencharacteristicofBlack women'sculturallifeunsettletheseacademiccommunitiesinabewilderingmanner.
