Born, Yolande Cornelia Giovanni Jr. on June 7, 1943, Nikki Giovanni lived her life as an activist, an artist, and a poet. Her work consisted of Black struggles, fighting for rights, queer love, and other personal experiences mostly relating to minority struggles. Giovanni’s writings were able to educate and entertain many and will continue to influence future generations, whether they are facing struggles or not. Here’s a deeper diver into the legacy of Nikki Giovanni.
Nikki Giovanni’s Early Career
Nikki Giovanni, she was part of the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s. Giovanni started her career writing about the horrors and struggles of those who fought in the Civil Rights Movement in the 50s and 60s. This included poems about the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the Birmingham Church bombing, the murder of Emmett Till, and more. According to the New York Times, Giovanni sold out over 1000 seats at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall where she presented many of her poems to the large audience. Soon after, she sold out what is now the David Geffen Hall (over 3000 seats) with another reading.
Nikki Giovanni’s Well-Known Work
Giovanni wrote Black Feeling Black Talk/Black Judgement in 1968, which is considered to be an important and influential piece of African American writing. The book spoke on the anger Giovanni felt towards how Black people were treated in the 1960s. The reader gets to see the world at that time through her eyes (Good Reads). Through her activism and written work, she made relationships with many other influential people including Aretha Franklin, Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali, and more (CNN).
Not only did she write, but she also did music and television programs. According to the New York Times, she recorded an album with the New York Community Choir in 1971. After the birth of her first son, she became a regular on the Black culture program ‘Soul’ which aired from 1967 to 1972. She was also presented with an Emmy Award for her documentary ‘Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.’ (CNN).
Later Life
Giovanni later became an educator and taught at Rutgers University and Queens College. She was later asked to be a visiting professor at Virginia Tech which she accepted. After retiring with her wife in 2022, she took a step back from writing about Black struggles. She then began to write about other things she encountered in life, one being queer love.
Nikki Giovanni wrote over 30 books. Many were children’s books, and three were best sellers (New York Times). She has another piece in the works, set to be released in 2025 called The Last Book. Unfortunately, she will not be able to experience it for herself as she died of lung cancer complications on December 9th, 2024. Despite this, Giovanni has left her mark with her art and activism and will remain an inspiration to many.
Image Credit: Robin Holland | Getty Images
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