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By Nikki Giovanni

If Black History Month is not
viable then wind does not
carry the seeds and drop them
on fertile ground
rain does not
dampen the land
and encourage the seeds
to root
sun does not
warm the earth
and kiss the seedlings
and tell them plain:
You’re As Good As Anybody Else
You’ve Got A Place Here, Too


Notes:

Note to Poetry Out Loud students: The title of this poem may be recited "BLK History Month" or "Black History Month." Either is acceptable and should not affect your accuracy score. 


Nikki Giovanni, "BLK History Month" from Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea.  Copyright © 2002 by Nikki Giovanni.  Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers Inc..
 

Source: Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea (HarperCollins Publishers, 2002)

  • Social Commentaries

Poet Bio

Nikki Giovanni
Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. She received her B.A. at Fisk University, and completed postgraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work and Columbia University School of Fine Arts. She has been a member of the faculty at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, since 1987. She was a major force in the community following the shootings there in 2007. In addition to her many collections of poetry, she is an accomplished spoken word artist and was nominated for a Grammy in 2004. Giovanni is also a lung cancer survivor. See More By This Poet

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