From themichiganjournal.com
()
Nikki Giovanni
Nikki Giovanni is a poet and teacher at Virginia Tech. She delivered an inspiring speech at the end of the Virginia Tech convocation ceremony in memorial of the Virginia Tech shootings. Her speech was titled "We are Virginia Tech". She... [more]
Nikki Giovanni is a poet and teacher at Virginia Tech. She delivered an inspiring speech at the end of the Virginia Tech convocation ceremony in memorial of the Virginia Tech shootings. Her speech was titled "We are Virginia Tech". She encouraged the Virginia Tech community to overcome tragedy and united, saying "We are Virginia Tech, We are the Hokies". The gathered community applauded her speech and began a chant after she ended.
Source: Getty Images
Delivered at the convocation ceremony on Tuesday April 17th, 2007:
We are Virginia Tech. We are sad today and we will be sad for quite awhile. WE are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning. We are Virginia Tech. We are strong enough to know when to cry and sad enough to know we must laugh again. We are Virginia Tech. We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did not deserve it but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, but neither do the invisible children walking the night to avoid being captured by a rogue army. Neither does the baby elephant watching his community be devastated for ivory; neither does the Appalachian infant in the killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy. We are Virginia Tech. The Hokie Nation embraces our own with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong and brave and innocent and unafraid. We are better than we think, not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imagination and the possibility we will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears, through all this sadness. We are the Hokies. We will prevail, we will prevail. We are Virginia Tech. "
We are Virginia Tech. We are sad today and we will be sad for quite awhile. WE are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning. We are Virginia Tech. We are strong enough to know when to cry and sad enough to know we must laugh again. We are Virginia Tech. We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did not deserve it but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, but neither do the invisible children walking the night to avoid being captured by a rogue army. Neither does the baby elephant watching his community be devastated for ivory; neither does the Appalachian infant in the killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy. We are Virginia Tech. The Hokie Nation embraces our own with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong and brave and innocent and unafraid. We are better than we think, not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imagination and the possibility we will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears, through all this sadness. We are the Hokies. We will prevail, we will prevail. We are Virginia Tech. "
As a poet, activist, and professor, Nikki Giovanni released a book on love poems earlier this year, titled, "Bicycles: Love Poems". "I titled the book 'Bicycles' because love takes trust and balancing, just like a bike does," said Giovanni during a luncheon at the Henry Ford Estate, Friday, November 13.
More perspectives...
During Nikki Giovanni's visit to the University of Michigan-Dearborn for the conversation on race series, the Michigan Journal got the opportunity to have a one-on-one conversation with her. The MJ spoke with her about race relations in America, education and what she thinks about the War in Iraq.
More perspectives...
From themichiganjournal.com
()
Students, faculty, staff, and members of the metro Detroit community filled Kochoff Hall last Friday, Nov.13, for the Conversation on Race lecture series, which featured Nikki Giovanni. Kate Davy, the Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs introduced Giovanni during the event.
More perspectives...
From themichiganjournal.com
()
Nikki Giovanni speaks at Bell Memorial Union
By Joel Hersch
Many people came out to see Giovanni speak and read her personal poetry about love, family and life Friday evening at the Bell Memorial Union auditorium.
Much of her writing has been on the topic of black culture in the U.S.
Giovanni grew up in an era of segregation and her activism for civil rights defined her younger years, she said.
Everyone around her was working to change women...
More perspectives...
From pr-inside.com
()
