Awards and Honors
- Grants from Ford Foundation, 1967, National Endowment for the Arts, 1968, and Harlem Cultural Council, 1969
- Named one of ten "Most Admired Black Women, "Amsterdam News, 1969
- Outstanding achievement award, Mademoiselle, 1971
- Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Award, 1971, for outstanding contribution to arts and letters
- Meritorious Plaque for Service, Cook County Jail, 1971
- Prince Matchabelli Sun Shower Award, 1971
- Life membership and scroll, National Council of Negro Women, 1972
- National Association of Radio and Television Announcers Award, 1972, for recording Truth Is on Its Way
- Woman of the Year Youth Leadership Award, Ladies' Home Journal, 1972
- National Book Award nomination, 1973, for Gemini: An Extended Autobiographical Statement on My First Twenty-five Years of Being a Black Poet
- Best Books for Young Adults citation, American Library Association, 1973, for My House
- Woman of the Year citation, Cincinnati Chapter of YWCA, 1983
- Elected to Ohio Women's Hall of Fame, 1985
- Outstanding Woman of Tennessee citation, 1985
- Post-Corbett Award, 1986
- Spirit to Spirit received the Silver Apple Award from Oakland Museum Film Festival
- Woman of the Year, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (Lynchburg chapter), 1989
- Honorary Doctorate of Humanities, Wilberforce University, 1972, and Fisk University, 1988
- Honorary Doctorate of Literature, University of Maryland (Princess Anne Campus), 1974, Ripon University, 1974, and Smith College, 1975
- Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, College of Mount St. Joseph on the Ohio, 1985, Indiana University, 1991, Otterbein College, 1992, Widener University, 1993, Albright College, 1995, Cabrini College,
1995, and Allegheny College, 1997
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Manhattanville College, 2000
- Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, Central State University, 2001
- Keys to numerous cities, including Dallas, TX, New York, NY, Cincinnati, OH, Miami, FL, New Orleans, LA, and Los Angeles, CA
- Ohioana Book Award, 1988
- Jeanine Rae Award for the Advancement of Women's Culture, 1995
- Langston Hughes Award, 1996
- NAACP Image award, 1998
- Tennessee Governor's award, 1998
- Virginia Governor's Award for the Arts 2000
- The first Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award, 2002.
top of page
