Floor SpeechCeremonial2024-12-11

HONORING NIKKI GIOVANNI

ImmigrationTaxesVoting Rights

Context

On 2024-12-11, Representative Jennifer L. McClellan (D-VA-4) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING NIKKI GIOVANNI" in the House. The speech addressed immigration and also covered taxes, voting rights.

Full Text

HONORING NIKKI GIOVANNI

Congressional Record, Volume 170 Issue 184 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024) [Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 184 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024)] [House] [Page H6811] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING NIKKI GIOVANNI The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. McClellan) for 5 minutes. Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker: I was born in the congo I walked to the fertile crescent and built the sphinx I designed a pyramid so tough that a star that only glows every one hundred years falls into the center giving divine perfect light I am bad I sat on the throne drinking nectar with allah I got hot and sent an ice age to europe to cool my thirst My oldest daughter is Nefertiti the tears from my birth pains created the nile I am a beautiful woman I gazed on the forest and burned out the sahara desert with a packet of goat's meat and a change of clothes I crossed it in two hours I am a gazelle so swift so swift you can't catch me For a birthday present when he was three I gave my son hannibal an elephant He gave me rome for mother's day My strength flows ever on My son noah built new/ark and I stood proudly at the helm as we sailed on a soft summer day I turned myself into myself and was jesus men intone my loving name All praises All praises I am the one who would save I sowed diamonds in my back yard My bowels deliver uranium the filings from my fingernails are semi-precious jewels On a trip north I caught a cold and blew My nose giving oil to the arab world I am so hip even my errors are correct I sailed west to reach east and had to round off the earth as I went The hair from my head thinned and gold was laid across three continents I am so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal I cannot be comprehended except by my permission I mean . . . I . . . can fly like a bird in the sky . . . Mr. Speaker, this poem, ``ego-tripping,'' sparked my interest as a child, growing up in the South from my favorite poet, Nikki Giovanni, who passed earlier this week. Nikki was one of the leading voices of the 1960s Black arts movement, with one writer naming her the ``poet of the Black revolution.'' Her work focused on race, gender, politics, love, and joy. Through poetry, children and nonfiction books, and spoken word albums, she celebrated Black America and Black liberation. As a young girl, I could see myself reflected in her work. She dedicated herself to uplifting and empowering other Black women writers, publishing an anthology of poetry written by Black women. Nikki was a fierce voting rights advocate and fought to ensure everyone could make their voices heard at the ballot box. She taught at several universities, culminating for 35 years at Virginia Tech, where she retired in 2022 as a distinguished professor of English. She received countless awards and accolades and was a groundbreaking literary giant. When the Virginia Tech community mourned the lives of 32 people killed by a gunman in 2007, she honored them with a poem entitled, ``We are Virginia Tech,'' in which she said: We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning. We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again. Nikki Giovanni has flown away home, and we will be sad for quite a while, but her words leave a lasting legacy that will continue to inspire generations to come. ____________________

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HONORING NIKKI GIOVANNI Congressional Record, Volume 170 Issue 184 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024) [Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 184 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024)] [House] [Page H6811] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING NIKKI GIOVANNI The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. McClellan) for 5 minutes. Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker: I was born in the congo I walked to the fertile crescent and built the sphinx I designed a pyramid so tough that a star that only glows every one hundred years falls into the center giving divine perfect light I am bad I sat on the throne drinking nectar with allah I got hot and sent an ice age to europe to cool my thirst My oldest daughter is Nefertiti the tears from my birth pains created the nile I am a beautiful woman I gazed on the forest and burned out the sahara desert with a packet of goat's meat and a change of clothes I crossed it in two hours I am a gazelle so swift so swift you can't catch me For a birthday present when he was three I gave my son hannibal an elephant He gave me rome for mother's day My strength flows ever on My son noah built new/ark and I stood proudly at the helm as we sailed on a soft summer day I turned myself into myself and was jesus men intone my loving name All praises All praises I am the one who would save I sowed diamonds in my back yard My bowels deliver uranium the filings from my fingernails are semi-precious jewels On a trip north I caught a cold and blew My nose giving oil to the arab world I am so hip even my errors are correct I sailed west to reach east and had to round off the earth as I went The hair from my head thinned and gold was laid across three continents I am so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal I cannot be comprehended except by my permission I mean . . . I . . . can fly like a bird in the sky . . . Mr. Speaker, this poem, ``ego-tripping,'' sparked my interest as a child, growing up in the South from my favorite poet, Nikki Giovanni, who passed earlier this week. Nikki was one of the leading voices of the 1960s Black arts movement, with one writer naming her the ``poet of the Black revolution.'' Her work focused on race, gender, politics, love, and joy. Through poetry, children and nonfiction books, and spoken word albums, she celebrated Black America and Black liberation. As a young girl, I could see myself reflected in her work. She dedicated herself to uplifting and empowering other Black women writers, publishing an anthology of poetry written by Black women. Nikki was a fierce voting rights advocate and fought to ensure everyone could make their voices heard at the ballot box. She taught at several universities, culminating for 35 years at Virginia Tech, where she retired in 2022 as a distinguished professor of English. She received countless awards and accolades and was a groundbreaking literary giant. When the Virginia Tech community mourned the lives of 32 people killed by a gunman in 2007, she honored them with a poem entitled, ``We are Virginia Tech,'' in which she said: We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning. We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again. Nikki Giovanni has flown away home, and we will be sad for quite a while, but her words leave a lasting legacy that will continue to inspire generations to come. ____________________