Poet speaks about history and the world's future

As the cold rain pounded on the roof of Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union Friday night, hundreds of students and faculty gathered to be warmed by the motherly voice of Nikki Giovanni. A mother, daughter, poet, civil rights activist and critic of criticism, Giovanni spoke about the struggles of the African-American community and of the world's future. \nDr. Gloria J. Gibson, associate vice chancellor for multicultural affairs introduced Giovanni. \n"We are proud and privileged to have Nikki Giovanni this evening." she said. "It is quite appropriate to have Giovanni on this campus in a time when the black student body is in turmoil. Art is dynamical, communicative, political, historical, cultural and most of all it can have a personal meaning." \nGiovanni's lecture jumped from topic to topic; she spoke on everything from how she loves her car to the controversial Benton murals in Woodburn 100 to the story of a 14-year-old boy from Chicago who traveled to Mississippi and was beaten and mauled to death because he was black. \n"Did you know that Martin Luther King never rode the bus his whole life living in Montgomery Alabama?" she asked. "King's father never wanted his children to ride the bus. He didn't want his children to be subjected to the demoralization that the bus drivers would create. So when King was old enough and he needed to go places his father bought him a car so he wouldn't have to take the bus." \nThe combative power of Giovanni's poetry was a wake-up call to blacks in the post-Malcom X and Black Panther era, helping them realize their identities and the roles they will play in influencing a predominantly white culture. \nGiovanni grew up in Cincinnati and Knoxville, Tenn. By the time Giovanni received her B.A. from Nashville's Fisk University, she was deeply devoted to the civil rights movement.Throughout the years she has become a respected lecturer and poet around the world. She currently holds a position at Virginia Tech.