Quilts

Nikki Giovanni was a foremost member of the Black Arts Movement (BAM). This movement started as the cultural section of the Black Power Movement and focused on expanding Black Nationalism through music, literature, drama, and visual arts. It aimed to promote the work of Black artists and intellectuals.

BAM started in 1965 in New York City with the foundation of the Black Arts Repertory Theater by poet Amiri Baraka. Baraka founded the theater on the same day Malcolm X was assassinated, so the movement symbolically started with his death. The 1960-1970s in the United States were a period when politics was at the forefront of artistic expression. According to the Poetry Foundation, the BAM “emphasized self-determination for Black people, a separate cultural existence for Black people on their own terms, and the beauty and goodness of being Black.” Black artists in the BAM used their respective mediums to push for civil rights and carve out a respected place for Black culture in America.

Prominent poets in this movement include Amiri Baraka, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Gwendolyn Brooks, Audre Lorde, and Sonia Sanchez. The movement disbanded in the 1970s for various reasons, including an economic recession.

Giovanni wrote “Quilts” three decades after this movement formally disbanded. Of course, the BAM continued to influence her writing. Her work still focuses on the importance of community and culture to the Black experience in the United States. “Quilts” touches on motifs of Black art, though not focused on revolutionary politics. Giovanni wrote this poem after years of working as a distinguished lecturer; her role in Black art turned from activist to mentor.