In celebration of the DeBoseNational Piano Competition-Festival and the Department of English, famed poet,essayist, professor, and artist-in-residence Nikki Giovanni visited the BatonRouge campus.
“To be black is a privilege. Weknow we are a great people because we have thrived,” Giovanni said. “We arepart of a changing Universe.”
On April 7 at 9:30 a.m.,Giovanni appeared in the Southern University DeBose Recital Hall for PoetryHour I, titled “Dreams and Reflections,” for elementary and junior high schoolstudents from the East Baton Rouge Parish School System.
Poetry Hour II titled, “From theHeart,” took place at noon for EBR high school students. Individuals withtickets had the opportunity to view Giovanni that evening at 7 p.m. at, “ASpiritual Journey of Words” at Boudreaux’s.
“Words are a battle field, notbullets,” Giovanni said. “Be critics, not critical of the new generation.”
“Evoking the Spirit and Song ofWords” was the title of the April 8 program held in the Cotillion Ballroom ofthe Smith-Brown Memorial Union.
In conjunction with the EnglishDepartment, Giovanni and Southern University students had the opportunity tospeak and express themselves through poetry.
“Southern University has ahistory of oral speakers,” Giovanni said. “Southern has got to embrace radicalhistory.”
Giovanni spoke on a variety oftopics including her experiences at Fisk University, politics, war, racism,Civil Rights, womanhood, Christianity, slavery, and the heritage of Blacks.
The KUUMBA Literary Societypresented poetry contest winners with one of Giovanni’s books, The CollectedPoetry of Nikki Giovanni, and a stipend.
The English Department, DeltaSigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, and the Mocha Room Poets presented Giovanniwith tokens of love and appreciation including a portrait of the poet.
“This was a very beautifulprogram. I cannot give words to express it,” said Antoine Mitchell, a senior,fine arts major, from Norwood andcreator of the portrait given to Giovanni. “Southern needs more poeticopportunities such as this.”
On the evening of April 8 at 6p.m., Giovanni appeared at the Baton Rouge Gallery (BREC) with the GreaterBaton Rouge Poets in, “A Sharing Moment of Words and Images.”
“You are facing a hard world,”Giovanni said. “They (Caucasians) take our culture and try to turn it around onus. Be in tune with your culture.
