Famous American poet and activist Nikki Giovanni passed away at the age of 81 after battling with cancer for years. Her friend author, Renee Watson, told NPR in a statement that Giovanni passed away on Monday, December 9, with her partner by her side.
"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 Fowler, by her side," said Renee Watson.
Giovanni became widely acknowledged in the late 1960s as one of the revolutionary poets of the Black Arts Movement. Known for her controversial tone and approach towards women's empowerment, Giovanni's works act as a powerful vehicle for exploring identity, resilience, and social change.
"We will forever feel blessed to have shared a legacy and love with our dear cousin," Giovanni's cousin, Allison Ragan said, in a statement.
Who was Nikki Giovanni's partner? Everything we know about the iconic poet
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Yolande Cornelia Giovanni Jr. was dubbed Nikki by her older sister in the early days of her childhood. She studied at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she encountered various Black literary figures before she went on to study poetry at Columbia University School of Arts.
In 1968, Giovanni published her first book, a collection of poetry called Black Feeling, Black Talk. In the same year, she released another book, Black Judgement, and after 2 years, in 1970, her third book came, titled Re: Creation. Giovanni's early poetry was heavily inspired by the Civil Rights Movement and echoed Black people's struggle to attain power.
Her first three collections paved the way for her career in literature, establishing Giovanni as the prominent voice of African Americans. She unapologetically wrote about gender equality, advocated for Black women's rights, and worked towards abolishing racism.
Giovanni was married to Virginia Fowler, a professor at Virginia Tech, who offered her a position at the university to teach creative writing and literature. After decades of teaching, Giovanni finally announced her retirement in 2022.
Alongside Virginia Tech, she also taught at Queens College and Ohio State University. Giovanni wrote over 25 books in her lifetime and held 27 honorary degrees from various universities, including the NAACP Image Award, which she won seven times. A documentary film titled Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project was made to honor Giovanni's life and was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The documentary also features Giovanni's son and her partner, Virginia Fowler.
"All I know is the she is the most cowardly, bravest, least understanding, most sensitive, slowest to anger, most quixotic, lyingest, most honest woman I know," Barbara Crosby wrote in the introduction to The Prosaic Soul of Nikki Giovanni published in 2003.
Nikki Giovanni passed away at 81 after battling with cancer
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Giovanni was first diagnosed with lung cancer in the early half of the 1990s, and since then, she has gone through several surgeries. In her book titled Blues: For All the Changes: New Poems, Giovanni penned down her struggle with cancer. Unfortunately, on Monday, December 9, Giovanni passed away following her third cancer diagnosis in a Blacksburg, Virginia hospital. Her longtime friend and poet Kwame Alexander stated,
"We will forever be grateful for the unconditional time she gave to us, to all her literary children across the writerly world."
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