By the Family of Nikki Giovanni
A public graveside burial service for beloved poet, Nikki Giovanni, who was raised in Lincoln Heights, will be held Thursday, December 19 at 2 p.m. at Spring Grove Cemetery [4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati.]
Nikki Giovanni, the acclaimed poet and 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. She was 81.
Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni, born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 7, 1943, served as a University Distinguished Professor in the English Department at Virginia Tech. Giovanni, an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., is the recipient of hundreds of awards and honors. She was most recently awarded a 2024 Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking for Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.
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.
Having battled cancer twice already, Giovanni refused to let a third bout interrupt her art. She performed with saxophonist Javon Jackson just 3 weeks ago at the Louis Armstrong House in New York City. Her forthcoming book of poetry, THE NEW BOOK, will be published in fall 2025.
“The poet Adrienne Rich wrote ‘…somehow, each of us will help the other live, and somewhere, each of us must help the other die.’ Renée [Watson] and I sat by her side, with Ginney, along with family and close friends, chatting about how much we learned about living from her, about how lucky we have been to have Nikki guide us, teach us, love us. We will be forever grateful for the unconditional time she gave to us, to all her literary children across the writerly world,” said Kwame Alexander.
Ms. Giovanni is survived by her wife, Virginia Fowler; her son, Thomas Giovanni; her granddaughter, Kai Giovanni; two cousins, Haynes Ford and Allison [Pat] Ragan; and her nephew, Christopher Black. “We will forever feel blessed to have shared a legacy and love with our dear cousin,” said Allison Ragan on behalf of the family.
Feature Image: Nikki Giovanni with her students at Virginia Tech. Image by Virginia Tech