Nikki Giovanni is an African American poet, writer, and activist born in 1943 in Tennessee. She was deeply influenced by the civil rights movement and used her writing to express views supporting black rights and equality. Some of her notable works exploring these themes include Black Feeling, Black Talk and Ego-Tripping and Other Poems for Young People. After a mass shooting at Virginia Tech University where she taught, Giovanni wrote the poem "We Are Virginia Tech" to honor the victims. She remains an outspoken voice for civil rights through her writings.