A Refusal to Self-Censor

Poet and black activist Nikki Giovanni can be very humbling. It's not the 22 books that bear her name, nor the CV overflowing with honorary doctorates and awards that make meeting this poet a nerve-jangling experience; rather, it's two characteristics that helped elevate her to a position of acclaim: a dedication to truth and a refusal to self-censor. Last Sunday, Ms. Giovanni spoke as Duke's 2004 Black History Month Keynote Speaker. In an insightful and entertaining address, she offered poems, colorful assertions ("Oprah doesn't like me--the feeling's mutual") and commentary on the topics that brought her recognition: black pride and advancement.

When asked if her views and activism ever create tension in the classroom, the Virginia Tech writing professor underlined her dedication to fostering individual expression: "I respect my students, and I respect different points of views.... I'm trying to teach my students to write what they're passionate about... to help them effectively come into their own voice. A lot of times, young writers don't even realize they have a voice." The outspoken author of lines like "I am so hip even my errors are correct" dispelled any doubts about finding her voice as a young poet-activist. "I grew up in a different time," she said. "By the time I was 12 years old, we had the Brown decision, the murder of Emmett Till and the Montgomery bus boycotts.... It was a very activist age."

Ms. Giovanni often expresses deep respect for hip-hop artists. At Duke she commented, "they not only made a way out of no way, but they're good businessmen." Dismissing questions about rappers who don't deliver such positive messages, she said, "If you don't like what you're hearing, you should stop hearing it.... It's always 'what's wrong?'. You have to ask, 'What's right?'" Citing OutKast, Black-Eyed Peas, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and Norah Jones as some contemporary favorites, Giovanni contended that "kids make a mistake if they never listen to our music, and we sure make a mistake if we never listen to theirs." It was an unsurprising view, given that her own work has been sampled--in fact, the poetess never refuses sample requests: "I don't want to censor them. And if they do something I don't like? It's not for me to like.... My job is to try to figure it out. I'm not a controlling person, and I don't like people who are."