Speak Up Tee

Design Concept: Honoring the legendary poet Nikki Giovanni, who interviewed two icons—James Baldwin (December 1971) and Muhammad Ali (December 1971)— as part of the PBS television series SOUL!, about race, power, and Black identity.  Nikki Giovanni’s conversation with Ali explored race, identity, and what it meant to be unapologetically Black in a society built to silence Black voices. Ali spoke boldly about the power of self-definition, the importance of pride in Blackness, and his refusal to be drafted into the Vietnam War—a decision rooted in both moral conviction and resistance to systemic oppression. Giovanni met his fire with grace and intellect, creating a dialogue that was both poetic and revolutionary, capturing the essence of Black excellence, truth, and resistance. Nikki Giovanni’s conversation with Baldwin explored themes of love, survival, and the emotional toll of being Black in America, especially for Black men under constant societal pressure. Giovanni challenged Baldwi