Having the namesake of a famous poet and author is one reason Nikki O’Brien is excited about the keynote speaker for Malcolm X Week.
As part of the week and in honor of Black History Month, activist and poet Nikki Giovanni will speak on campus tonight.
O’Brien, who keeps Giovanni’s books in her office, always has been a fan of the poet’s work.
“She is an incredible poet and educator,” said O’Brien, coordinator for African American Student Affairs in the Office of Racial Ethnic Student Affairs.
“She is an incredibly dynamic woman. She is an activist who has been through every phase of the movement. The most important thing is, this whole week is Malcolm X Week. She will bring her interpretation of Malcolm X’s legacy.”
The event will open with a selection of poetry from MSU’s Black Poets Society.
Marcelle Bryant, president of the group, said she is excited that Giovanni is coming and honored to have been asked to open for her.
“She is like a role model for us,” the advertising junior said. “A lot of the things she has done, we are looking to do.”
And Bryant said she thinks Giovanni’s speech will be a learning experience for students.
“I think she is going to offer a lot of education and insight for those who have heard of her and those who haven’t,” she said. “Just because they have heard of her doesn’t mean they have experienced her speaking. I know some people who have heard of her and haven’t read her books. It will be a rewarding experience.”
Giovanni attended Fisk University in Tennessee and founded a communications company called NikTom Ltd. Her works include collections of essays and poems. Her most well-known work is “Truth Is On Its Way,” a recording of her poems recited to gospel music, which was one of the bestselling albums in the country in 1971. She now works as an English professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
“I think Nikki Giovanni is probably one of the most prolific black poets in the history of this country,” said journalism senior Darren Lamb, programming director of Black Student Alliance. “She was one of the first in the last 30 years to speak out in a kind of militant way about black issues.
“She was around when Malcolm X was around, hearing exactly what he was about and why he fought so hard and believed what he believed. It will be interesting to hear her side and her interpretation of his beliefs.”
Murray Edwards, chairman for the Black History Committee and senior coordinator in the Office of Racial Ethnic Student Affairs, said the purpose of the committee is to bring African American scholars to campus who are experts on history and culture.
“(Students will) get a chance to hear one of the most renowned people in America,” he said. “They’ll get a chance to see how her poetry intertwines with Malcolm X.”
