“Nikki-Rosa” is a free-verse poem first published in Nikki Giovanni's 1968 collection Black Judgement. The poem, which is autobiographical in nature, discusses Giovanni's childhood near Cincinnati, Ohio. The poem addresses the public perception of Black people's lives as being defined by struggle and the lack of money, and more broadly the widespread ignorance of their real experiences. The speaker in "Nikki-Rosa" challenges this narrative by focusing instead on the moments of joy she experienced while growing up and her loving relationships with her family members. She also emphasizes that when she was sad as a child, it was not due to poverty itself—which she did experience, having, for example, "no inside toilet"—but due to how the poverty affected her loved ones. Near the end of the poem, Giovanni offers an alternative way of thinking about Black people's lives, one that is not based on money. "Black love is Black wealth," she writes.
In a 1972 conversation with the associate editor of Ebony Magazine, Peter Bailey, Giovanni explains that she believes her role as a poet is to portray her own perspective, even though it may differ from what other people see. This is the spirit motivating "Nikki-Rosa." In Giovanni's own words, "I can do 'Nikki-Rosa' because that's the way I look at my early years. I had a really groovy childhood and I'm really pleased with my family."
