Some might view Okantah's critique of America and Black Life in America as condescending, divisive, or a sign of his hate or dislike of the country. I counter that with the words of James Baldwin, "I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually." Our shed blood and enslavement, our contributions and achievements, our continual challenges and call for America to live up to its claims of freedom and liberty are physical and spiritual investments that allow us to demand a return. Okantah clearly displays that these investments that black people have made in America, voluntarily and involuntarily, have bequeathed them co-ownership and rights to it, in all its fullness and manifestations. A Black Voice in the Wilderness is a reminder that there is a way out, a way to overcome, a way for all black people to connect to their collective history, and a way for America to become what it claims it wants to be.
Anthony 'Da Boogie Man' Rucker, Dear James
A Black Voice in the Wilderness is a fiery collection of poems and essays that demand we look inward at what we've become as human beings. In his introduction, he writes: "This is a nation born in paradox." These post-George Floyd/Covid poems and essays won't let us forget how we arrived at our current moral, political and digital chaos. Reminiscent of Gil Scott-Heron and The Last Poets, Mwatabu Okantah continues to hold the torch of the Black Arts Movement in his hands. Black poetry truth-telling is a type of gospel, the foundation for conscious hip-hop and grass roots self-determination. As younger generations grow weary of the world and its leaders, they can look at this book as a guide for courage, knowledge and sacred African wisdom. For those who may quickly dismiss this book as a poetry rant, read it again. To have Mwatabu Okantah's Black Voice in the wilderness is to have a light that never dims.
Kelly Harris-DeBerry, Freedom Knows My Name and the Chapbook, Homegirl
A Black Voice in the Wilderness must not be ignored. Okantah's writing rips the open wounds of our racial history and allows for true and visceral vulnerability. The writing expands our consciousness as Americans still reeling in the pain of a deliberate and violent history. Okantah's words offer us a pathway to begin to listen, and to heal.
Annie Fullard, Violinist, Cavani String Quartet
In Okantah's new book, A Black Voice in the Wilderness, he writes, "Word sounds have power," which could be the four-word biography of his life. Everything about his poetry, blogs, performances, teaching, etc. centers around what happens when he uses his voice to document Black life and speak out against racial injustice through a cultural collective lens while coining new terms and phrases like: "Truth is rinsed white," "white privilege is Vanilla-ISIS," and "Black people are still strange fruit." A must read.
Dr. Mary Weems, Poet, Playwright, Fall and Response, Poems
Mwatabu Okantah is a modern-day Griot giving voice to the inconvenient truths and spiritual sickness of our American story. He is one of the "good people" standing up to say, "enough is enough." We need Okantah's open and honest voice, these powerful poems and piercing commentary, now more than ever to wake us up to the modern plague of race hatred in this country.
David Hassler, Director, Wick Poetry Center