KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — World renowned poet and civil rights activist Nikki Giovanni has a new honor in her hometown of Knoxville.
A new plaque was unveiled at the Cal Johnson Recreation Center on Thursday, just across the street from where Giovanni's grandparents lived. She spent a lot of time in the neighborhood as a child and even wrote poetry and prose about the city, including painful reflections on the effects of urban renewal on her grandparents' East Knoxville neighborhood.
Giovanni said she was thrilled to be back.
"I'm doing good not to cry right now. It's wonderful to be home again. I was born here, in Knoxville, spent all my summers here," she said.
The new plaque replaces an older one that used to be on Hall of Fame Drive that was damaged during construction last year.
Giovanni hopes the plaque will inspire young people to think beyond themselves.
"To begin to think about the history of the great Appalachian people, black and white. It's a bit of history that's understated, and we need to know more," she said.
She also said she thinks Knoxville is the greatest city in Tennessee, because while Memphis has the music and Nashville has the money, Knoxville has always been about doing what's right.
