American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator Yolande Cornelia Nikki Giovanni Jr has passed away at the age of 81.
According to reports, Giovanni passed away on December 9 with her wife, Virginia Fowler, by her side. Her death was caused by complications of lung cancer.
She rose to fame in the late 1960s and was a prominent figure in the Black Arts Movement with her early work showcasing a militant perspective, reminiscent of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements.
Had many creative talents that had an impact on black culture
She was also a star outside of the movement. A celebrity poet and public intellectual who appeared on television and toured the country.
Giovanni was a riveting performer, and her musical talent was influenced by the jazz and blues music she loved. She was able to mix that with comedy and gospel, and drew crowds wherever she appeared throughout her life. Her best audiences were college students and prison inmates, she would say.
In 1972, when she was 29, she sold out the 1,000-plus seats at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. There she red her poems alongside gospel music performed by the New York Community Choir.
Soon after, for her 30th birthday, she sold out the Philharmonic theatre, all 3,000 seats. There she was joined by 1980s R&B stars Melba Moore and Wilson Pickett, who sang gospel numbers with the same choir that attended her earlier show.
The audience joined in, too, with gusto, The New York Times reported, especially when she read one of her hits, the stirring paeon to black female agency called Ego-Tripping, which generations of black girls have performed at school.
Honoured with numerous awards
She has won numerous awards, including the Langston Hughes Medal and the NAACP Image Award. She was also nominated for a Grammy Award for her poetry album, The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection.
Giovanni received numerous awards and holds 27 honorary degrees from various colleges and universities. She was also given the key to over two dozen cities.
Giovanni was honoured with the NAACP Image Award seven times. One of her more unique honours was having a South America bat species, Micronycteris giovanniae, named after her in 2007.
