By Adonia Burciaga
Nikki Giovanni, a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People award winning poet, spoke on Zoom Friday about her career writing various poetry books throughout her career.
Giovanni has written various poetry books, and has been a leading voice in the Black Arts movement of the 1960s and 70s.
She started off the event with a spoken word. After the spoken word she said she was very excited to speak with students.
Giovanni said the share that the African American Community has always set the standards for fashion, music and food.
She said there is a trend of cultural appropriation that various celebrities have participated in. The celebrities steal the styles of the African American Community and trying to make it their own.
Giovanni said it is strange that companies have a white face of the trademark of something like Kentucky Fried Chicken, while knowing that white people have never been able to cook that well.
Giovanni said her favorite story about Former President Barack Obama was when he visited a well known New Orleans restaurant called Dookey Chase to try Leah Chase’s Gumbo, Shrimp Creole and fried chicken. Obama tried to add hot sauce to one of Chase’s meals which was meant to be eaten as it was served.
What Giovanni said the take away is that African American Community makes is meant to be as it. No one could remake it and think it would be better.
She said there have been so many powerful activists throughout time like Rosa Parks and people who have been failed by the justice system like Emmet Till.