Cultural Kaleidoscope Week

Nikki Giovanni haps Giovanni's most acclaimed poem as well as a crowd favorite. It continuedfrom pg. 1 draws a parallel between black women and nature and earth.

"She was blunt, honest - she bad 'That poem was so inspiring I her own opinion, and did not care, went to school the next day a whole she said what she wanted;' first- new person," Umi Woolfolk told year student Toya Bradley said. Giovanni of his first reading as a Giovanni bounced seeminglyran- child. Woolfolk, a student at Drexdomly from topic to topic, speaking el, traveled from Philadelphia to about her classes at Vrrginia Tech, bear Giovanni speak. then about her son and then onto is- "We usually try to hear her whensues of Medicare and Social Securi- ever she is in the area," Cheri Carter ty. said. Carter, a graduate student at "Medicme is not a commodity, the University of Delaware, made medicine is not a hula hoop, it is not the trip up to see Giovanni with her a movie, it is not a new CD, it is a father, John Carter, of Philadelphia necessity,"Giovanni said. "She tells it like it is and she doesGiovanni spoke about racism. "I n't care," Carter added. 'Toe things don't understandhow white A.meri- she says I don't think are offensive cans can hate black Americans," because she is in your face and it Giovanni said. "How could you makes you think about things." hate the people that cleared the Anton Witherspoon had orgaforests, picked the cotton for you nized a trip up for students from St. and cooked the rice and showed Joseph's University to come to the you what to do with a chicken .I readings. Witherspoonis the assisstill don't like that [Kentucky] tant director of diversity at St. Colonel." Joseph's. When their reservations

"I don't understand how anyone for a school bus fell through, Withcan hate black Americans, we're so erspoon drove the students in his lovely,"Giovanni said with a smile. own car. He felt it was important She then referred to her class, the for studentsto hear the woman who Negro Spiritual as the American inspired him back when he was an Metaphor "We found a way to sing undergraduate in the 1970s. The a song, and with that song we got lecture brought back memories for through," she said. him.

During the speech, Giovanniread ''Nikki Giovanni represented a from two of her poems. The first woman to me that I never imagined, was entitled, "What we miss: a trib- she said things I never imagined; I ute," though Giovanni recalls it as never imagined the image of the more of a eulogy. She had been black woman she mentioned, and asked to write it for the 30th an- her imagery was so powerful to me niversary of "Essence" magazine that it gave me a new respect for about women who had died in the who my grandmother and mother year 2000. were," Witherspoonsaid.

The second was "Ego Trip," per-

f Iuti St jazzes itup for audience in food court

by Kate Pe/usi assistant copy editor

Ordinarily, the afternoon hustle and bustle of the Widener Center Gathering Area is accompanied by the sporadic sounds of early '90s rock from thejukebox. However,on Wed. Feb. 21, Keith Marks and his band graced the eatery with their melodiousbrand of jazz during Cultural KaleidoscopeWeek.

Marks, a flutist, was accompanied by Karl Latham on drums and Donald Nicks on bass.