HBCUDigest.com February 25, 2012 Academic and Activist Nikki Giovanni Enlightens Edward Waters by Imani Jackson "War is not a jobs program," world-renowned activist, academic, poet and professor Nikki Giovanni said Friday at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Fla. Her colorful message engaged students, fans and media at the college. The event, which boasted a packed house, was part of Edward Waters College's Academic Cultural Enrichment Series (ACES) and First Year Experience (FYE). While the crowd showed up and showed out for the woman many believe is the godmother of spoken word, one would be remiss not to highlight the EWC Choir, their diverse vocal range and spirited performance. Before Giovanni launched into her rousing speech, she lauded the group and said that they needed to visit Virginia Tech, where she is a professor of Black Studies. The spirited 68-year-old boasts a list of accolades longer than her diminutive frame, but presented a message on behalf of academic underdogs. Virginia Tech is an athletic powerhouse; yet, she advocated for arts education and the need for art scholarships. "The hardest working dollar is the art dollar," Giovanni said using constant product turnover as evidence. Part of the problem is that schools readily pay for athletic hands, but hesitate to financially reward artists. She said that singing, clapping and praising the Lord take something out of a person. "Art kids need the same opportunities." Giovanni's expressionism reminiscent delivery touched on numerous topics. The professor commented on Whitney Houston's demise, gay rights, which she later called today's civil rights issue, technological improvements (iPADs or computers for all children), women's reproductive rights (women's business), unemployment rates (abysmal) and reparations (needed). The bubbly blonde earned laughs, but particularly endeared herself when she drew parallels between Martin Luther King Jr. and modern society before showing the choir her T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. forearm tattoo, an acronym that Tupac Shakur had tattooed across his abdomen. Musicians played a significant role in her dialogue. Giovanni said that a collective audience witnessed Houston's downfall, and that people should know that they are appreciated before it is too late. She joked that a year at Spelman could have saved Houston. The supermodel songbird could have met a nice Morehouse man, instead of Bobby Brown, whom Giovanni said she wouldn't trust to walk her dog. From that quip she transitioned into a project on which she and Maya Angelou are working. They are planning a celebration of Toni Morrison, in light of her son's death last year. The event will happen at Virginia Tech on October 16. Angelou will be the hostess. While Giovanni reiterated an appreciation for life and liberty, she continuously advocated education. College is not just about getting a job. "Go to college because you need a career," she said. With regard to HBCU critics, Giovanni asked why people readily question Black institutions. "Nobody questions the validity of Notre Dame," she said before adding that the system will "take our labor and our money." She offered scathing criticism of the right wing, although she told the crowd that she would not instruct them how to vote. Giovanni opined that the GOP was taking their beliefs too far. The anti-contraceptive rhetoric reflected in Wednesday's debate had nothing to do with women's bodies, she said. "It has to do with bullsh*t." Giovanni said that it was infuriating to watch a bunch of men talk about women and women's rights as if women were slaves. The performer didn't solely use her platform for gripes. Instead she encouraged people to embrace their gifts. Rather than revel in mediocrity, she told them to find extraordinary, loving, supportive people. Giovanni constantly said that she was a menopausal, "old lady", but delved into current topics with ease and wisdom. She saluted participants of the Occupy movements, and said that comparisons of them with mobs, especially those who lynched people, were inappropriate. The poet also big-upped the hip-hop generation, and said that misogyny in hip-hop is not among her most pressing concerns. Hip-hop is on the same train as the blues, which routinely blamed women, she said. Giovanni stated that women answer back to questionable lyrics, but they also let men know when too much is being done, she said before citing Nelly's late night "Tipdrill" video, in which he infamously swiped a credit card down a video model's posterior. Nelly later told journalists that the credit card move was the model's idea. Giovanni said that he learned a lesson and that hip-hop learned a lesson when Nelly attempted to host a bone marrow drive at Spelman after the video's release. The students boycotted. Witty, gritty and gregarious, Oprah "Living Legend" Nikki Giovanni presented a cognitive and cultural harvest. She reflected skepticism of systems, but unwavering belief in humanity. "I have a lot of faith in the people," she said. "The people are not lacking." SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-520-0593 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2012meeting-form.html for the October 21-23, 2012 HBCU Library Alliance 5th Membership Meeting and the Photographic Preservation Pre-Conference in New Orleans, LA. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.