Bill Moyers interviewed Nikki Giovanni on his weekly show Bill Moyer's Journal on PBS last night. He illuminated Giovanni's contagious smile, distinctive oral tradition, and her spirit. She talked about her new book of poetry Bicycles: Love Poems. We have come to know her poems within a span of thirty plus years and she is still drawing from her experiences as Virginia Tech professor and as an African American woman.
Moyers asked her about her revolutionary poetry. She did awake in many of us whether we be Black, Hispanic or White an enormous sense of urgency to pay attention. She demanded in a big way a respect for culture, art and the beauty of a single voice. Someone coined her the "poet of the people". I have always admired her poems and often use her poems to bring a classroom back to life and to the present. She inspired me to reexamine my roots, oral traditions, and the memories of what really matters.
As we celebrate Black History Month, we want to read the poetry of Nikki Giovanni for many reasons. Her poems are a tribute to the Black experience and testament to our humanity.
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