Nikki Giovanni

Birth Name: Yolande Cornelia Giovanni

Place of Birth: Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.

Date of Birth: June 7, 1943

Date of Death: December 9, 2024

Place of Death: Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.

Ethnicity: African-American, 1/8 Italian

Ancestry/Genealogy:

Nikki Giovanni was an American poet, author, activist, and television personality. She wrote numerous poetry anthologies, essays, and children’s books. She also recorded spoken word albums. She was involved in the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Nikki also appeared on the television series “Soul!” She was also a professor at Virginia Tech.

Nikki grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio as well as Knoxville, Tennessee. She had one child.

Nikkie was the daughter of Yolanda, born in Georgia, and Jones/Gus Giovanni, born in Alabama.

Nikki’s paternal grandparents, Mattie and Thomas Giovanni, were born in Alabama. On the 1880 Census, Thomas lists his father’s birthplace as Italy. His mother, Susan, was born in South Carolina.

https://nikki-giovanni.com/

Genealogy of Nikki Giovanni:

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/GJWD-9FQ