Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee House Bill HJR0097 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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4	4	HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 97
5	5	By McKenzie
6	6
7	7
8	8	HJR0097
9	9	001791
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12	12	A RESOLUTION to honor the memory of Yolande Cornelia "Nikki"
13	13	Giovanni, Jr.
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15	15	WHEREAS, the members of this General Assembly were greatly saddened to learn of
16	16	the passing of Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni, Jr.; and
17	17	WHEREAS, Nikki Giovanni was an internationally celebrated author and humanitarian
18	18	icon who spent her life being a voice for the most vulnerable within her community and working
19	19	for equal rights for all; and
20	20	WHEREAS, born in Knoxville on June 7, 1943, Ms. Giovanni was the second daughter
21	21	born to Yolande Cornelia, Sr., and Jones "Gus" Giovanni; soon after she was born, her family
22	22	moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, before returning to Knoxville, where she attended Austin High
23	23	School; and
24	24	WHEREAS, although she did not dream of writing from an early age, Nikki Giovanni
25	25	became one of the most inspirational authors and poets symbolic of the Black Arts movement in
26	26	the 1960s and 1970s; she discovered her love for reading at the Carnegie Library, a segregated
27	27	branch of the Lawson McGhee Library, and drew artistic inspiration from her community and her
28	28	grandparents, Louvenia and John Brown Watson; and
29	29	WHEREAS, her body of literary works has included more than two dozen poetry
30	30	collections, and her first collection, Black Feeling Black Talk, was published in 1968; some of
31	31	her most well-known poems include "Nikki-Rosa," which was featured on her 1971 album, Truth
32	32	Is on Its Way, and "Knoxville, Tennessee," which pays homage to her home region's cuisine
33	33	and natural landscape, and her family, community, and faith; and
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38	38	WHEREAS, Ms. Giovanni was proud to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather by
39	39	attending Fisk University in Nashville, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History
40	40	and was an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; and
41	41	WHEREAS, Ms. Giovanni went on to serve with acumen and alacrity as a professor in
42	42	the English department at Virginia Tech, where she worked with her partner; she took her much-
43	43	deserved retirement in 2022, following thirty-five years of service; and
44	44	WHEREAS, her renowned activist efforts for African-American rights made waves
45	45	throughout the Knoxville community and across the globe; although she did not often speak on
46	46	her role in the Civil Rights Movement, she was known to engage in many battles on behalf of
47	47	Black Americans, including picketing against segregation in front of the Tennessee Theatre; and
48	48	WHEREAS, Ms. Giovanni was a truly charismatic individual and held the power to ignite
49	49	a crowd; she had numerous public performances, including at the 2022 Big Ears Festival and
50	50	The Mill & Mine; and
51	51	WHEREAS, no stranger to accolades, Nikki Giovanni was a Grammy Award nominee,
52	52	and she was honored with a historical marker in 2019 at 400 Mulvaney Street, the site where
53	53	her grandparents' home once stood; she was the recipient of countless awards, including the
54	54	NAACP Image Award and the Langston Hughes Medal, both of which duly recognized her
55	55	cultural significance as an African-American writer; and
56	56	WHEREAS, she was also deeply devoted to her family, and she always endeavored to
57	57	remain true to family values of the highest order; and
58	58	WHEREAS, Ms. Giovanni will be sadly missed but fondly remembered by her beloved
59	59	wife, Virginia Fowler; her son, Thomas Giovanni; her granddaughter, Kai Giovanni; her cousins,
60	60	Haynes (Delores) Ford, Allison (Beau) Ragan, and Lauren (John) Wilkerson; her nephew,
61	61	Christopher Black; and a host of additional family members and friends; and
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66	66	WHEREAS, Nikki Giovanni leaves behind an indelible legacy of integrity and probity in
67	67	public life, compassion and loyalty in private life, and diligence and dedication in all her chosen
68	68	endeavors, and her tireless efforts to bring about a more just, humane society will continue to
69	69	inspire generations to come; and
70	70	WHEREAS, it is fitting that we should pay tribute to her bountiful life of purpose and
71	71	service; now, therefore,
72	72	BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED
73	73	FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
74	74	CONCURRING, that we hereby honor the memory of Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni, Jr.,
75	75	reflecting fondly upon her enduring legacy in Knoxville and beyond and extending our sympathy
76	76	and offering our condolences to her family and friends.
77	77	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
78	78	for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
79	79	the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
80	80	without House or Senate designation.
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