“And we sang a precious song. And we found a way not to survive. Anything can survive. But to thrive. And believe. And hope. I’m a native Tennessean. I was born there.”
On Thursday evening, the Black Student Union (BSU) hosted nationally acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni as its Women’s History Month keynote speaker in the Mandela Room.
Giovanni shared her thoughts on serious topics such as her career in creative writing and teaching, gun control, college sports and civil rights, while also getting the audience to laugh during light-hearted moments.
She recited four of her poems, including well-known pieces such as “Tennessee by Birth” and “In The Spirit of Martin,” which discussed slavery, black civil rights and her experiences of being born in Tennessee during segregation and living through Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.
“It’s not the slavery, it’s the fact that we overcame it,” Giovanni said. “Without the song that black Americans sung, and without black Americans, we wouldn’t have America.”
As a professor of creative writing at Virginia Tech University, Giovanni also expressed her excitement that her former student Kwame Alexander was the recipient of the Newbery Medal for his children’s book, “The Crossover.”
“I’m so thrilled because every writer wants to teach a writer, and he’s only the fifth black American to win the Newbery,” Giovanni said.
Attendees also had the opportunity to ask Giovanni questions during the night. One audience member asked Giovanni about the current state of the country regarding racism, and whether she believed the country was progressing.
“It’s never gonna be over,” Giovanni said. “Basic racism, basic hatred, basic stupidity, these are things we’re going to live with. We who consider ourselves the good people need to speak up against the foolishness. It’s never going to be well, it’s only going to be controlled.”
When asked about the importance of blacks reading literature by other blacks, Giovanni noted the significance, but also said that reading by everyone is crucial.
“Reading is important, I don’t see any downside to knowledge,” Giovanni said.
According to Ridwan Olatilewa, vice president of BSU and a senior majoring in computer science, the BSU chose Giovanni due to her status in the world of African-American literature.
“The number one reason why we chose Nikki Giovanni to come as our keynote is because she is legendary,” Olatilewa said. “As we tried to think of prominent black history figures that were still alive today, she came up and was the perfect fit.”
After the event, attendees such as Legan Bayombo, a sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering, expressed their enthusiasm for Giovanni’s presence.
“I think that she is such a free person, and I find that amazing,” Bayombo said. “She’s so abstract, she can talk about one thing that relates to another, and then it all zeroes back in to what she was speaking on.”
Lenny Herrera, a junior majoring in Latin American and Caribbean area studies, said he appreciated BU’s ability to bring someone with Giovanni’s merit and experience to campus.
“In her comedic approach she was able to get at important racial, social and political criticisms that were enlightening to listen to,” Herrera said. “Especially from someone who’s older and has more wisdom of the world.”