Nothing Like Stopping Time

I got an email today from my advisor (I think) and he indicated Nikki Giovanni will be speaking on January 24th at the Morrison Center. Then there is little ole me, sitting at my desk knowing nothing about Nikki Giovanni. The email gave the dust jacket version of information about her. I figured since she was listed as a poet that perhaps I should see if anything was in our library. To our library's credit we have several books bearing her name. I had my little list made out of books I wanted to look at but figured the one titled, The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni would get me familiar enough with her work.

I am telling you I do not live under a rock... I am a student in Boise. How did I not realize who this woman was and that her work inspired me from the first page I opened the book to. You know I should not beat myself up so much about not knowing 'Black' poets. I never started out on this one woman revolution to change the way black, brown, purple, green and all other colors are treated in Idaho. I did not wake up one day and say to myself, "I think I will step out of the shower and share my voice with others." Other people started this mess with me. Other people called me and my babies Nigger. I did not walk around asking people to refer to me as a nigger, negress, colored or anything else that makes the hairs prickle on the back of my neck.

Where I am going with this is Nikki Giovanni's early work is killer. She makes references to the BLF and speaks of homemade bombs and radical change. Her voice speaks from back in the day. She calls for radical change from government and people of that late 1960s early 1970s. I do not condone violent upheaval in todays world. I do call on the non-traditional Idahoans to raise radical voices for change. Take your written and spoken voice beyond the classrooms and into the streets to demand change here, in this state.

I almost wet my pants via "Black Flame" or the proud inward fire from my culture. I speak acceptable black girl, I know this. But many people know nothing about who I am and where I came from. I'm all over the place here. I think I vaguely recall one of the Def Poetry Jams and Nikki Giovanni came on and I was transfixed by her but did not realize that her collection would change my life today.