Throughout the month of February, Family Equality Council is celebrating Black History Month by honoring the accomplishments, contributions, and lives of LGBT Black Americans, past and present.
Nikky Finney (8/26/57- )— Professor and poet. Nikky Finney grew up in South Carolina, her family deeply involved in activism and the civil rights movement. She studied at Talladega College and Atlanta University before joining the Pamoja Writing Collective. Her writing—currently four books of poetry and a short story cycle—has won several awards, including the 2011 National Book Award for her most recent book, Head Off & Split. Finney is a professor at the University of Kentucky (1991-2013) and she will continue teaching creative writing and African American literature at the University of South Carolina this fall. Her partner is novelist A.J. Verdelle. Learn more at her website: http://nikkyfinney.net/