Overview:
Nikki Giovanni passes way at 81.
Yesterday, Dec. 9, cherished and highly regarded for her literary works, Nikki Giovanni died at 81 from complications of lung cancer, according to WDBJ. The educator, author, poet, activist and cultural commentator passed away in Blacksburg, Va., at a hospital. According to a statement from author Renee Watson given to AP News, Giovanni is survived by her lifelong partner, Virginia “Ginney” Fowler, who was next to her during her last days.
Allison (Pat) Ragan, Giovanni’s cousin, in a public statement on behalf of their family said, “We will forever feel blessed to have shared a legacy and love with our dear cousin.” The famed literary icon also leaves behind surviving family members: her son, Thomas Giovanni; cousin, Haynes Ford; nephew, Christopher Black; and her granddaughter, Kai Giovanni.
With a career that has expanded more than 50 years since the 1960s, Giovanni’s most recent work is the 2023 documentary, “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project”. She rose to prominence in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement. Born Yolande Cornelia Giovanni Jr. on June 7, 1943, in Knoxville, Tenn., she was a foremother of the Black Arts Movement, working from the lens of a Black queer-identified woman navigating the difficulties of her intersectional identity in America at the height of multiple social injustices.
Many of her poetic works were labeled as “militant” due to her encouraging Black unity, revolutionary acts, and using her voice for social change. Giovanni’s literary works were in conversation with other notable figures such as Angela Davis, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and James Baldwin.
Giovanni spoke of her frustrations with attempting to complete graduate college at Columbia University with no money and continuing her career as a writer on her website during the earlier parts of her adulthood. “The requirement was (from the Dean of Women),’ In two years you must write a book.’ I wrote a book in a bit less than a year. I wanted my degree and to go on. It’s still a discussion Columbia and I have, though I admit I keep losing,” said Giovanni, according to her website. “No one was much interested in a Black girl writing what was called ‘militant’ poetry. I thought of it as good poetry, but we all have our own ideas. Since no one wanted to publish me, I formed a company and published myself.”
In the span of Giovanni’s career, she has received 7 NAACP Image Awards, 3 New York Times and Los Angeles Times Best Sellers, one Grammy nomination, and was a finalist for the National Book Award. Her most notable poetic works include “Black Feeling, Black Talk/Black Judgement” (1969), “My House” (1972), “Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day” (1978), “Rosa Parks” (2002), and “BLK History Month (2002).”
