Nikki Giovanni
Nikki Giovanni
Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni, Jr.is an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. One of the world's most well-known African-American poets, her work includes poetry anthologies, poetry recordings, and nonfiction essays, and covers topics ranging from race and social issues to children's literature. She has won numerous awards, including the Langston Hughes Medal, the NAACP Image Award, and has been nominated for a Grammy Award, for her Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection. Additionally, she has recently been named as one of...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth7 June 1943
CityKnoxville, TN
CountryUnited States of America
The poet Melvin B. Tolson once said, 'A civilization is judged only in its decline.' That made sense to me. I would imagine the same is true for poets and tennis players.
The job of the architect becomes more difficult in this secular age. Where once he had a god to extol, he now has humans like himself; where once he had "he," he now has "she" and "they.
One stands, in fact, in awe of the Constitution of the United States, though it is an idea and not quite a reality.
When younger, I thought one of the particulars of being "Homo sapiens" was to communicate. I have not learned not to, though I am cautious when I try.
Just as nature abhors a vacuum, humans resist change. Change will occur; vacuums will be filled.
Educational progress is a national concern; education is a private one.
There are some things we do simply because the doing is a success.
Iife/personality must be taken as a total entity. All of your life is all of your life, and no one incident stands alone.
I hope that, reading 'Rosa,' people will remember their own family and friends and talk about what they did and did not do.
I don't have a life-style, I have a life.
I have not tried to tell the people anything. I have shared my views with the people but I have not tried to lead or correct them, assuming they need correction.
I'm an old storyteller. [When] I tell the story, it's about the story.
There are things you stand up for because it’s right.
What's the difference between dragging a black man behind a truck in Jasper, Texas, and beating a white boy to death in Wyoming because he's gay?