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