Acclaimed poet and activist Nikki Giovanni dies at 81
By Chris Boyette, CNN
(CNN) — Renowned poet, activist, author and professor Nikki Giovanni has died. She was 81.
“The acclaimed poet, Black Arts Movement icon whose poems of wit, wonder, and wisdom were celebrated in children’s books, on keynote stages and television shows, and in more than two dozen bestselling poetry collections, died peacefully on December 9, 2024, with her life-long partner, Virginia [Ginney] Fowler, by her side,” said an announcement from friend and fellow writer Renée Watson.
“We will forever feel blessed to have shared a legacy and love with our dear cousin,” said Allison Ragan in a statement on behalf of Giovanni’s family. The statement did not say how Giovanni died.
Known for her work on civil rights and social issues — especially gender and race — the passionate and prolific iconoclast published dozens of volumes of poetry, essays and anthologies, and more than 10 children’s books, according to a profile on the website of Virginia Tech, where she was Emerita Professor in the Department of English and on faculty since 1987.
Giovanni was awarded a 2024 Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking for Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, and her latest book of poetry, The Last Book, is scheduled to be published in fall 2025.
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 7, 1943, Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni graduated with a degree in history from Fisk University in 1967.
“My dream was not to publish or to even be a writer: my dream was to discover something no one else had thought of. I guess that’s why I’m a poet. We put things together in ways no one else does,” Giovanni wrote in a brief biography on her website.
“As one of the cultural icons of the Black Arts and Civil Rights Movements, she became friends with Rosa Parks, Aretha Franklin, James Baldwin, Nina Simone, and Muhammad Ali, and inspired generations of students, artists, activists, musicians, scholars and human beings, young and old,” the announcement from Watson said of the poet.
Giovanni is survived by her wife, Virginia Fowler, and her son and granddaughter, Thomas and Kai Giovanni in addition to cousins Allison “Pat” Ragan and Haynes Ford and nephew Christopher Black.
One of Giovanni’s many poems reflects on her life and her eventual passing.
“I hope I die warmed by the life that I tried to live,” she wrote.
CNN’s Lisa France contributed to this report.
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