What did Nikki Giovanni do in her life?

In my mind, Giovanni's role at Virginia Tech after the shootings in 2007 represented one of the most powerful contributions any thinker can render to such a crisis.  Being an English teacher at the school, she was able to serve as a voice of the community and to the outside world.  She turned the moment of horrific and unspeakable cruelty to one of healing through both her poetry and the emotion of the moment.  She was able to articulate the rage, sadness, unspeakable hurt, and search for justice through her poetry.  She became a symbol to so many in the Virginia Tech community, individuals who sought words to convey their condition.  This contribution distinguishes any poet or thinker, but becomes extremely relevant when discussing Giovanni's.