Acclaimed poet and literary force Nikki Giovanni, who was at the forefront of the Black Arts Movement, and known across the world for her defiant yet endearing prose about race, gender, sex and love has died.

A key figure of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and ’70s, the poet and activist is celebrated for her illuminating works touching on race, gender, and politics.

Nikki Giovanni, the acclaimed poet, author, professor and activist, died Monday following a third cancer diagnosis. She was 81.