The family of a beloved poet who inspired generations of students, artists, activists, musicians, scholars and more is inviting the public to her burial this week.
Nikki Giovanni passed away peacefully at her home with her wife, Virginia “Ginney” Fowler, by her side on Dec. 9 from complications related to lung cancer, according to family. She was 81. A public graveside burial service for Giovanni will be held at Spring Grove Cemetery on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 2 p.m.
“The poet Adrienne Rich wrote ‘…somehow, each of us will help the other live, and somewhere, each of us must help the other die.’ Renée [Watson] and I sat by her side, with Ginney, along with family and close friends, chatting about how much we learned about living from her, about how lucky we have been to have Nikki guide us, teach us, love us. We will be forever grateful for the unconditional time she gave to us, to all her literary children across the writerly world,” writer Kwame Alexander said in a press release.
Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 7, 1943. During her lifetime, she became a celebrated poet, with her words of wit, wonder and wisdom touching lives through bestselling poetry collections, children’s books, keynote speeches and television shows. She was also an icon of the Black Arts and Civil Rights movements, befriending other prominent Black figures and activists of the time, including Rosa Parks, Aretha Franklin, James Baldwin, Nina Simone and Muhammad Ali. During her early years, Giovanni lived in Cincinnati.
Giovanni was also a university-distinguished professor in Virginia Tech’s English department, an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority and the recipient of hundreds of awards, including most recently a 2024 Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking for Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.
Her family says this bout of cancer was her third, but Giovanni refused to let it interrupt her art. Just a few weeks ago, she performed with saxophonist Javon Jackson at the Louis Armstrong House in New York City, and her last book of poetry, The New Book, will be published in the fall of 2025.
Giovanni is survived by her wife, Ginney; her son, Thomas Giovanni; her granddaughter, Kai Giovanni; two cousins, Haynes Ford and Allison [Pat] Ragan; and her nephew, Christopher Black.
“We will forever feel blessed to have shared a legacy and love with our dear cousin,” Allison Ragan said on behalf of the family.
Spring Grove Cemetery is located at 4521 Spring Grove Ave. in Spring Grove Village.
This article appears in Dec 11-24, 2024.
