IU South Bend’s Civil Rights Heritage Center hosted an event titled “An Evening with Nikki Giovanni” - celebrating the life and work of the American poet, educator and activist, who passed away in December.
Dr. Darryl Heller, assistant professor of women’s and gender studies and the director of the CRHC, served as host for the program which was cosponsored by IU South Bend, the Poetry Den, and the University of Notre Dame’s Initiative on Race and Resilience.
Heller invited three Notre Dame scholars to join him as panelists: Mark Sanders, professor of English and Africana studies; Pyar Seth, postdoctoral research associate at the Reilly Center; and Scott Alves Barton, assistant professor in Africana studies.
Heller, Sanders, Seth, and Barton each offered commentary on Giovanni’s impact, influence, and ongoing significance. They put her contributions in specific historical contexts and all read selections of her poetry and introduced a sequence of video selections that spanned Giovanni’s career, with special attention paid to her gripping 1971 interview with fellow author James Baldwin.
Giovanni first came to prominence in the late 1960s, but continued to work, write and teach prolifically for the remainder of her career, and she was still quite active right up to her death.
Attendees were encouraged to bring their favorite Giovanni poems, and the audience was given the chance to speak about her and read some particularly meaningful Giovanni works aloud. The selections represented a fitting cross section of Giovanni’s oeuvre, ranging from inspired and fiery political poems to introspective meditations to sweet and silly love poetry.
“An Evening with Nikki Giovanni” was one of many events on the schedule of the Civil Rights Heritage Center this Spring. To see a full list of upcoming events, or to learn more about the CRHC and the Poetry Den, visit https://clas.iusb.edu/centers/civil-rights/index.html.