Rosa Parks

“The Chicago Defender Sends a Man to Little Rock” by Gwendolyn Brooks (1957) “Rosa Parks” references this poem, in which a Chicago reporter arrives in Little Rock, Arkansas, and investigates the lynching of a Black man that took place shortly after the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education.

“Nikki-Rosa” by Nikki Giovanni (1968)

In this poem from her first book, Black Feeling, Black Talk, Giovanni describes how white people misunderstand and incorrectly describe the childhoods of Black people, especially famous Black people. The title of the poem, “Nikki-Rosa,” which connects Giovanni's name with that of Rosa Parks, suggests that even early in her career, Giovanni felt a strong identification with the civil rights icon.

“BLK History Month” by Nikki Giovanni (2002)

Included alongside “Rosa Parks” in Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea, this poem argues passionately for equality for Black people.

“Poem for a Lady Whose Voice I Like” by Nikki Giovanni (1996)

This poem is a dialogue between a man and a woman: As the man puts the woman down, she repeatedly sticks up for herself. The poem centers an enduring theme in Giovanni’s work: feminism.