'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 E. Weems, Poet, Playwright and social/cultural foundations Scholar. '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. 'A Black Voice in the Wilderness must not be ignored. Okantah's writing rips open the 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
