February 14, Nikki Giovanni explained the day in Howard

Howard's department for English and the writing program in the first year organized a Nikki Giovanni day as part of his film festival “Visions of Freedom”.

The event contained a Read-A-Thon entitled “Exclusive Giovanni” and a demonstration of the documentary “Gose to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni project”. The demonstration followed a Q&A with the filmmakers Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson.

President Ben Vinson III, who could not take part in the zoom event due to travel, sent a proclamation in which he was declared Nikki Giovanni Day for the university on February 14th.

In the proclamation, he said: “With a convene convened in this way, our community can deepen its examination of dialogues about social justice, identity and cultural strengthening from history to this day.”

Carole Boyce-Davies, Chairman of the Department of English and Professor of African diaspora literatures, said that the coincidence of Nikki Giovanni Day, who falls on Valentine's Day, “works because we want to give her love”.

Giovanni, a famous poet, author and activist, died on December 9, 2024 from complications of lung cancer. She was a professor at Virginia Tech for 35 years before retiring in 2022.

“We have just lost [Giovanni] As a big icon, we wanted to make sure that the students knew about their work, especially if they hadn't heard of her, ”said Boyce-Davies. “The part of the reading is that your work comes to life for a new generation.”

Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, sent the event a welcome and wrote that the Nikki Giovanni Read-A-Thon offered a unique opportunity to celebrate activism, literature and role in promoting reforming social justice and at the same time To promote unit.

“Although considerable progress has been made, we still have a lot to do. Thanks to programs such as the Nikki Giovanni Read-A-Thon, we can continue the dialogue and inspire the next generation of writers, filmmakers and activists, ”she wrote.

Boyce-Davies, which came to Howard after 18 years at Cornell University, said that she believed in Howard's ability to influence programs like this.

“The idea was that Howard is the place where African-American literature was really to be formulated and has a legitimate structure for teaching, writing and studying,” said Boyce-Davies. “We want to bring it back so that everyone who comes to Howard should have a good feeling for black literature – not only the black literature of the USA, but the African diaspora literature in general.”

Other speakers in the virtual event were Cashenna Cross, Mayor of Glenarden, Maryland, Department of English Faculty and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Rubin Patterson, each of which talked about Giovanni's effects and awards.

Boyce-Davies found that the department had previously organized a James Baldwin Read-A-Thon. Since Giovanni and Baldwin had a famous conversation when Giovanni was 28 years old, the department was appropriate to honor her.

Boyce-Davies explained that Giovanni contributed to redefining the commitment with black literature and poetry, criticizing the US system and US racism and at the same time addressing life from a woman's perspective. Giovanni examined the relationships between black women and black men, white men and the dominant white culture.

The first poem, the “ego-Triping”, was read by Angela Verelle, a creative writing professor at the University and MC for the event.

According to Delle, 17 students and several faculty members read a selection of Giovanni's poems.

Arrionna Robinson, a student of political science in the second year from Pennsylvania, was one of the participants in the Read-A-Thon.

“I volunteered for participation because I have the feeling that it is only a perfect opportunity not only to work on my public speaking, but to celebrate Nikki Giovanni,” she said.

Copy edited by Camiryn Stepteau