Ms. Giovanni, Now An Ancestor

 

Just a week or so ago, I shared with a friend a recent photo of Ms. Nikki not looking so well. And, it has been on my mind to call another friend who secured her as a guest for an online fundraiser When Black Women Gather held during the pandemic for Dr. Hadiyah-Nicole Green for her work in cancer research. What an honor...  

"I can fly like a bird in the sky..." Growing up, we loved her poetry. Who amongst us didn't Ego Trip' with our dear Sistah' Nikki? I dare say, her poetry, set to the soft sound of drums and played on all Black radio, introduced many a Black child to dream of Africa and to appreciate the melodic flow of poetry, the art and power of spoken word, if you will.

When "rap" was cool and meaningful, it was represented by the likes of Nikki Giovanni, Gil Scott Heron, and The Last Poets. Even as children, we understood the[ir] messaging as words of Black Pride. We were thriving and drunk with Black Pride in the mid to late 60s and 70s. We wore it like a badge of honor in our dress, our music, our 'soul' food, our poetry, our literature, our walk, our talk, our familiar gestures, in our every communication even when nonverbal. Our pride was fueled by the influence, voice, and presence of people like Ms. Giovanni which was fed to us daily on Black owned radio, which now, almost without exception, is a thing of the past.

It is not by accident that Black radio and the positive messaging of Black music have been effectively silenced. Don't get me started on the silencing of the Black church. Black newspapers and Black magazines are essentially nonexistent. Black books are presently being banned, burned, and belittled. Through each of these mediums, Black pride was nourished and affirmed daily. That these mediums and others, have been silenced, is no coincidence. Conversely, it is quite by design and according to a "master" plan which we are experiencing in real time as we live to witness America dangerously dancing with calls for a rebirth and seemingly intentional repetition of the most shameful parts of her history as is demonstrated in tolerance of very loud and deliberate declarations to dismantle valiant, hard fought for, and won, civil rights gains...

May our dear Sistah' Queen Nikki rest in much deserved peace. She definitely did the work. She came, she did the thing, and left her forever mark. She has now earned her wings and her place as a treasured Ancestor. Sleep well, my fellow outspoken Gemini Sistah'. Your work continues to inspire us. Your life was not in vain...  🙏🏾  

Renewed Power to the People!
👊🏾❤️🖤💚👊🏾