22 pages • 44 minutes read
Nikki GiovanniRosa Parks
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2002A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“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.
Further Literary Resources
“Distinguished Faculty Lecture: Nikki Giovanni” by Nikki Giovanni (2009)
In this lecture at Virginia Tech, Giovanni discusses her relationship with Rosa Parks and her children’s book about Parks’s life and activism.
“We Need Your Vote | ‘Dream’ by Nikki Giovanni | Joe Biden for President” posted to YouTube by Joe Biden (2020)
In this 2020 Biden-Harris presidential campaign ad, Giovanni reads her poem “Dream,” which ends with the word “vote.”
“Nikki Giovanni, Finding the Song in the Darkest Days” by Elizabeth Harris (2020)
This New York Times profile discusses Giovanni’s life and work, focusing on her prolific production: Giovanni has published 12 children’s books, eight nonfiction books, and ten spoken word albums.
Listen to Poem
David Kern, host of The Daily Poem podcast, reads Giovanni’s poem aloud
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni (2021)
Giovanni wrote a children’s book about Rosa Parks that was illustrated by Bryan Collier. In this video created and posted by the Chicago Children’s Museum, Olivia Porter reads Rosa and shows the audience Collier’s illustrations.
Related Titles
By Nikki Giovanni
