Rev. Renee Kesler, director of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, delivers a eulogy for her friend, poet and civil rights activist Nikki Giovanni on Dec. 19, 2024 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Knoxville. (Photo: Angela Dennis)
Friends, sorority sisters, high school classmates and admirers filled the pews of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Wednesday to celebrate the life and legacy of Nikki Giovanni, the renowned poet, author, and activist who died on Dec. 9, at the age of 81.
The memorial, held at the church where Giovanni grew up, was a tribute to the legendary writer whose work inspired generations. Born Yolande Cornelia Giovanni Jr. in Knoxville on June 7, 1943, Giovanni’s connection to Mt. Zion was deeply rooted in her upbringing, shaping her values and artistic voice.
Giovanni often shared stories about her love for Knoxville and the church she grew up in before graduating from Knoxville’s Austin High School in 1961.
Rev. Johnnie Skinner, pastor of Mt. Zion, opened the service with reflections on Giovanni’s legacy. “We are thankful that Nikki kept the vision alive. She never lost that. May God bless her memory and may we all live up to the words she spoke,” he said.
The service included heartfelt readings of Giovanni’s poem Knoxville, Tennessee, a love letter to the city, and reflected her fondest memories of her hometown. Members of the congregation also performed gospel hymns, and elected officials spoke, including Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon. Kincannon shared the city’s appreciation for Giovanni’s contributions to the arts and social justice and announced she has approved a resolution marking Dec. 19 Nikki Giovanni Day.
“Nikki Giovanni had some good times in Knoxville, and she had some hard times. Her childhood home was destroyed, the library where she was introduced to literature was destroyed and she often spoke up about that. Those were hard times, but she loved her hometown, she loved this community,” Kincannon said.
In 2019, the City of Knoxville erected a historic marker at 400 Mulvaney Street, where Giovanni’s former home stood before being razed during the city’s urban renewal projects.
The memorial, which was organized by the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, the hub for African American history and preservation in Knoxville, concluded with special remarks by its Executive Director Rev. Renee Kesler. Kesler was a longtime friend of the iconic poet.
Kesler urged congregants to not only remember Giovanni for her accomplishments, but also for who she was.
“We’ll talk about the brilliancy of her mind, and the literary work for generations to come. And indeed the Beck Cultural Center will preserve that history. But I’m not going to just talk about what she did, but I’m going to talk about who she was,” Kesler said.
“Anyone who knew Nikki had their own story, she lives in those stories. She had a smile and she made you laugh. Even until the end she did not want you to take her voice,” said Kesler. She was still doing the work, she was still writing poems. She created words that were so powerful that they live on beyond her, she had all that beautiful poetry and it’s just beautiful but at the end of the day she was a child of God.”
The Knoxville memorial was part of a series of events honoring Giovanni’s life. A public visitation was held in Blacksburg, Va., on December 14, where she spent decades as a distinguished professor at Virginia Tech. On December 15, her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, honored her with an Omega Omega Service, followed by a private funeral for family and close friends. Giovanni’s body will be laid to rest in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 19 with a public graveside service at Spring Grove Cemetery.
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