#NNPA BlackPress

Nikki Giovanni weaves her life’s journey into University of Memphis lecture

NNPA NEWSWIRE — During a Q&A that brought talk of her love for Samuel Adams’ luxurious beer Utopia, the black arts movement influence of hip-hop and President Trump’s administration, Nikki Giovanni reflected on the Baldwin interview that led to the 1973 book “A Dialogue.”

Published

5 years ago

March 22, 2019

Oakland Post

By Harlan McCarthy, Special to The New Tri-State Defender

After closing her recent keynote lecture during the 10th Annual Women’s Honor Conference at the University of Memphis University Center, iconic poet Nikki Giovanni fielded a question that provided a snippet of her philosophy about contradictions.

The backdrop for her take on contradictions was her 1971 interview with novelist, playwright and activist James Baldwin, whose novel, “If Beale Street Could Talk,” is the basis of the hit movie of the same name.

During a Q&A that brought talk of her love for Samuel Adams’ luxurious beer Utopia, the black arts movement influence of hip-hop and President Trump’s administration, Giovanni reflected on the Baldwin interview that led to the 1973 book “A Dialogue.”

Giovanni, now a distinguished professor at Virginia Tech University, said television producer Ellis Haizlip made the interview happen just hours earlier.

“I haven’t looked at it,” she said of the now 38-year-old televised exchange with Baldwin. “I don’t go back because I don’t mind making a mistake… I might have contradicted myself… If you’re going to be an artist, you’re going to contradict yourself.”

The Annual Women’s Honor Conference is presented by Professional Assertive United Sisters of Excellence (P.A.U.S.E.) and several other campus organizations. P.A.U.S.E’s mission is to unite UofM women of all races, creeds and economic backgrounds while promoting academic and professional success through workshops and networking.

Multiple workshop sessions – rooted in the theme Grit, Grace and Glow – accented the conference. They featured Memphis-area professionals such as Dr. Menson-Furr, a UofM African studies professor, new state Rep. London Lamar and attorney, author and and blogger Carlissa Shaw, Esq.

Then came Giovanni. With the room full of women, the best-selling author thanked P.A.U.S.E President Kennedie Toney before easing into a range of topics that included politics, health, race, gender and social culture.

An avid game-show fan, Giovanni made light of the “Family Feud” and later shared a “Jeopardy” tale that included her calling host Alex Trebek when her name wasn’t listed among those in a category she believed to be NAACP Image Awards. She’s a seven-time Image Awards winner.

“Alex, they ought to have known I should have at least been a wrong answer,” she recalled telling Trebek.

Giovanni said she once asked her English class students whether she should be a contestant on the show “Deal or No Deal.” A definitive “no” was the response, with the reasoning being that they didn’t want her to be made a fool, she said.
In response, Giovanni said she told her class, “As old I am, if the first time I make a fool of myself is on ‘Deal of No Deal,’ I lived a bless life.”

A cancer survivor, Giovanni made a segue into her mastectomy and the topic of embarrassment. She punctuated that element of her address with a reading of “Deal or No Deal English 4714 CRN 169-7.”

At one point, Giovanni weighed in on the social problems surrounding victims in Charlottesville, women’s lynching in the Appalachia, the historical importance of Viola Liuzzo, adoption and abortion.

A native of Tennessee and an alumnus of Fisk University, Giovanni also read her poem “Native Tennessean,” which speaks to her love for her home state.

Describing herself as a mother’s daughter, Giovanni talked about the difficulty of relating to her father, whom she said mistreated her mother. She told a story about moving back from New York to help her ill father and how she dealt with the mistreatment of her mother.

She then read “I Married My Mother,” a poem about the relationship she had with her mom.

Giovanni, an avid quilter, put her experience with the craft in context by referencing her experience with the Quilts of Gee’s Bend, which are created by a group of women and their ancestors who live or have lived in the isolated African-American hamlet of Gee’s Bend, Ala. along the Alabama River.
She ended her lecture with “Quilts,” a poem about quilting.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Stetson selects first Black dean of College of Law

Don't Miss

Dr. Julius Garvey Still Seeking Redemption for his Father and Africans

Oakland Post

Click to comment

#NNPA BlackPress

IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

Posts by Stacy M. Brown

#NNPA BlackPress

Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

Posts by Stacy M. Brown

#NNPA BlackPress

Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.