This Black History Month, I’m sharing art, songs, movies, and other creative expressions from and about Black women that spark joy for me. Because Black women are often not remembered for their contributions, I thought this would be one way to give flowers to those who inspire me.
For Day 10, I’m honoring the late, great Nikki Giovanni.
Nikki Giovanni was one of the most prolific poets and writers of our time. Much of her work was inspired by the Black Power and civil rights movements. She says she became a poet to put words together in ways that no one else did. And she did that.
Her bio on her website says,
I think I was lucky because I was always sniffling. Colds; allergies; something or another. Which meant I got to stay home from school a lot. Which meant I could read the books that I wanted to read. Mommy had a wonderful library. Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Paul Laurence Dunbar John Hershey but she also read trashy books that she kept in the back of her closet. I remember a nun once saying to me that Black Boy by Richard Wright was a bad book. I knew better but I thank her for letting me know just because you are grown and a nun you don’t necessarily know what is a good from a bad book. I guess this is a long way of saying I’m a dreamer.
Nikki was not afraid to tell the truth and shame the devil. Whenever I watched a video of her, I noticed two things. She smiled like a playful sprite. And she had a sharp tongue that she could wield with incredible precision. Nikki Giovanni loved Black people, and she centered Blackness in her writing. When she couldn’t get anyone to publish her work because it was too militant, she created a company and published it herself.
Nikki Giovanni died last December after a battle with cancer. One of the pieces that folks shared of her work When I Die captures so much about Ms. Giovanni
when i die i hope no one who ever hurt me cries
and if they cry, i hope their eyes fall out
and a million maggots that had made up their brains
crawl from the empty holes and devour the flesh
that covered the evil that passed itself off as a person
that i probably tried
to love
I know that’s right.
Thank you, Nikki Giovanni, for all the truth you told and reminding us that there is no need to mince words with people who don’t deserve our energy.
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