Growing up may have been hard, but Nikki Giovanni took those hardships and turned them into writings that have now become famous. Nikki Giovanni is a poet with works for people of all ages. Nikki’s background of domestic abuse and the various happenings of the sixties shaped her poems. Nikki’s life was hard from the beginning. She was born June 7, 1943 in Knoxville, Tennessee to Jones, who was abusive, and Yolande Giovanni. Her birth name was Yolande Cornelia Giovanni, Jr. As the second daughter (Pettis 123), Nikki looked up to and was protective of her older sister, Gary (Carson 901). At two months old, her parents moved the family to Cincinnati, Ohio, to keep their children away from racial discrimination (Pettis 123). Nikki’s …show more content…
She started her own publishing company, NikTom, in 1970 (Rennert 22). She worked at the People’s Settlement House in Wilmington, Delaware. When pressured by her parents (Rennert 21), and faced with an ultimatum from her father to either go to graduate school or find work (Carson 902), Nikki headed to New York City, where she attended Columbia University. She enrolled in the School of Fine Arts, then resigned because they did not like her writing style. Nikki organized the first Black Arts Festival in Cincinnati, which lead to the formation of the Black Theater Group. She attended the Detroit Conference of Unity and Art and met the new president of SNCC, becoming closer to Black Arts Movement participants (Pettis 125). In August of 1969, Nikki welcomed her son Thomas Watson Giovanni (“Nikki” 153). Nikki was not married, so this was controversial (Carson 902). In 1995, Nikki was diagnosed with lung cancer (“Nikki” 153). Her assertiveness made her popular with both blacks and whites, although she faced harsh criticism. She wrote an autobiography, poetry, essays, and anthologies (Pettis 123). She still writes today, gives speeches, and publishes books and poems (Carson 903). Nikki holds readings both nationally and internationally (Pettis 123), which helps fuel her love of being around readers (Rennert …show more content…
These two options worked together well. Since disposable objects were often made from cheaper materials than their built-to-last counterparts, manufacturers felt freer about taking chances with unconventional designs. Disposable items may have looked cheap to consumers, but they still bought more because of their desire to buy. The fashion industry faced many changes. In the early 60s, styles were very conservative, but later in the decade were revealing. Bright colors, short skirts and dresses, and dark makeup were popular in the sixties (Layman 147). Hippies went against the flow and challenged fashion by wearing dirty, ripped, secondhand clothings (Layman 148). Fighting for equality was a big part of the 1960s. Blacks changed lives with nonviolent movements and protests; whites reacted with violence, and sometimes even murder. The mid-sixties brought a split between violent and nonviolent protesters. The nonviolent side got scared when MLK was assassinated. Women formed the National Organization for Women in 1966, fighting for rights, much like the NAACP for blacks. This organization was made up of mostly young women, and they eventually were able to get the Equal Rights Amendment passed (Layman