| 12 | 16 | | |
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| 13 | 17 | | |
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| 14 | 18 | | |
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| 15 | 19 | | WHEREAS, Nikki Giovanni, an iconic American poet who was a leading figure in the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, touched countless lives through her thought provoking literary works, and inspired students as a longtime faculty member of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, died on December 9, 2024; and |
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| 16 | 20 | | |
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| 17 | 21 | | WHEREAS, Yolande Cornelia Giovanni, Jr., better known from a young age as Nikki Giovanni, was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, which always held a special place in her heart, and she spent much of her youth in Lincoln Heights, Ohio, near Cincinnati; and |
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| 18 | 22 | | |
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| 19 | 23 | | WHEREAS, Nikki Giovanni excelled in academics and was accepted to Fisk University, a historically Black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee, after her junior year of high school; and |
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| 20 | 24 | | |
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| 21 | 25 | | WHEREAS, Nikki Giovanni was active on campus as the editor of Fisk University's literary magazine and supported the Civil Rights Movement by establishing a branch of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee; she ultimately graduated with honors in 1967, earning a bachelor's degree in history; and |
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| 22 | 26 | | |
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| 23 | 27 | | WHEREAS, in 1968, Nikki Giovanni published her first poetry collection, Black Feeling Black Talk, followed immediately by Black Judgement, the two of which have been combined in later reissues; featuring masterpieces like Nikki-Rosa and Knoxville, Tennessee, the collections quickly became a touchstone of Black American poetry, and readers were enthralled by her fearless wit and commanding voice; and |
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| 24 | 28 | | |
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| 25 | 29 | | WHEREAS, a prolific author, Nikki Giovanni crafted more than 20 volumes of poetry over the course of her career, including the most recent collection in 2020, Make Me Rain: Poems & Prose; her works covered a wide range of topics from everyday occurrences to racism, politics, mortality, and even space travel; and |
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| 26 | 30 | | |
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| 27 | 31 | | WHEREAS, after the birth of her son in 1969, Nikki Giovanni was inspired to write for younger audiences and published her first children's book in 1971; she subsequently authored more than a dozen children's books and poetry collections, as well as a biography of Rosa Parks; and |
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| 28 | 32 | | |
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| 29 | 33 | | WHEREAS, in 1971, Nikki Giovanni set her poetry to music in her first album, Truth is on Its Way, recorded with the New York Community Choir; she recorded several other albums from the 1970s through the 2020s; and |
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| 30 | 34 | | |
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| 31 | 35 | | WHEREAS, in addition to her literary career, Nikki Giovanni taught at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University for 35 years and held a University Distinguished Professorship in the English Department; and |
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| 32 | 36 | | |
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| 33 | 37 | | WHEREAS, among many accolades, Nikki Giovanni received lifetime achievement awards from the Art Sanctuary and the Library of Virginia; she was an eight-time NAACP Image Award winner, was listed on Oprah Winfrey's 25 Living Legends, and was profiled in the documentary film Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project; and |
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| 34 | 38 | | |
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| 35 | 39 | | WHEREAS, Nikki Giovanni was a passionate advocate for social justice and systemic change, whose works empowered readers to make a difference in their communities, and as a modern luminary in the arts, she inspired generations of students, scholars, poets, authors, artists, musicians, and activists; and |
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| 36 | 40 | | |
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| 37 | 41 | | WHEREAS, Nikki Giovanni will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by her longtime partner, Ginney; her son, Thomas, and his family; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it |
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| 38 | 42 | | |
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