Nikki Giovanni: The One Who Inspires My Voice

A woman who demands confidence despite her seemingly fragile frame, Nikki Giovanni has a voice that proudly constructs the strong presence of the Black community. She has spoken of a Black woman's sweat, tears, love, and power without any hurt in her tone. She has written of the struggle that characterized the Black Power Movement, and has used such power to argue for the civil rights of others outside the Black race. Nikki Giovanni is a name so powerful that even Kanye West referenced her in Hey Mama. Undoubtedly a notable figure as the author of numerous poetry books, a Grammy nominated album, and the inaugural poem for Barack Obama, Nikki Giovanni sincerely embodies what I myself hope to inspire in future generations: passion.

An individual to say the least, Giovanni has a 'thug' tattoo on her arm, and has even said that she "would rather be with the thugs than the people complaining about them." The recipient of twenty five honorary degrees and the first Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award, Nikki Giovanni has never slowed down since the day she started her God-given path of writing. A social activist, a voice for the people, and a lung cancer survivor, she is a true inspiration.

One of my favorite poems that she's written is called Ego Tripping. If you have EVER had that day where you just feel like you aren't all that and everything more, then this poem is for you. I instantly fell in love with the way Ms. Giovanni illustrates a woman only the way a woman can. This poem makes me feel that strong, beautiful, and invincible...aka all that and everything more. When I read this poem, I feel Michael-Jackson-BAD!

Ego Tripping (There May Be a Reason Why)

I was born in the congo

I walked to the fertile crescent and built

the sphinx

I designed a pyramid so tough that a star

that only glows every one hundred years falls

into the center giving divine perfect light

I am bad

I sat on the throne

drinking nectar with allah

I got hot and sent an ice age to europe

to the cool my thirst

My oldest daughter is nefertiti

the tears from my birth pains

created the nile

I am a beautiful woman

I gazed on the forest and burned

out the sahara desert

with a packet of goat's meat

and a change of clothes

I crossed it in two hours

I am a gazelle so swift

so swift you can't catch me

For a birthday present when he was three

I gave my son hannibal an elephant

He gave me rome for mother's day

My strength flows ever on

My son noah built new/ark and

I stood proudly at the helm

as we sailed on a soft summer day

I turned myself into myself and was

jesus

men intone my loving name

All praises All praises

I am the one who would save

I sowed diamonds in my backyard

My bowels deliver uranium

the filings from my fingernails are

semi-precious jewels

On a trip north

I caught a cold and blew

My nose giving oil to the arab world

I am so hip even my errors are correct

I sailed west to reach east and had to round off

the earth as I went

The hair from my head thinned and gold was laid

across three continents

I am so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal

I cannot be comprehended except by my permission

I mean...I...can fly

like a bird in the sky...

Now you know this poem is a point. If she didn't say it exactly the way it needed to be said, then I don't know who can do it better. Her work will live on for future generations; that much I am sure of. My words can't do her justice, but she is truly an amazing woman for the work that she has committed her life to.

The funny thing is that I was ignorant to her existence a few weeks ago. Although many of us don't admit it, the painful truth is that we don't spend time researching the people who have made positive contributions to this world in our community. We can sing every Ne-Yo lyric and ray every Jay-Z song, but we don't know about the Nikki Giovannis and countless others who have made a name for themselves working hard for this generation to have better. Our culture especially has a rich history of powerful figures besides Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. It's 2010, and I think this Black History Month, everyone should find more black heroes to celebrate. My discovery was Nikki Giovanni - who will yours be?

--Brittany Allen

Brownstone Intern