
12/12/2024
Nikki Giovanni, prolific poet and activist, died December 9, 2024. Giovanni’s political activism in combination with her creative writing brought her to the forefront of the Black Arts Movement, and her work was frequently recognized and honored. Click here to learn more about her life and work from the Tennessee Encyclopedia: https://tr.ee/CQWOnwgiqR
Giovanni spent much of her early life in Tennessee. She graduated from Knoxville’s Austin High School before entering Fisk University in Nashville, her grandfather’s alma mater. Giovanni’s celebrated 1970 poem “Knoxville, Tennessee,” can be read here: https://tr.ee/yAv3h6vKU2