The Muntu Poets Of Cleveland

Enter the Muntu Poets. They reflected the rage, dissent, and rebellious nature of the community during this time. The group consisted of several young members from every political stripe, from liberal to radical, with Hzal Anubewei, Yaseen A. Assami, Sakki Beytu, Norman Jordan, Art Nixon, Sababa Akili, Amir Rashidd, Bill Russell, Yahya A. Sabur, and Mutawaf A. Shaheed. The Muntu Poets, named by Norman Jordan and organized by master poet Russell Atkins, first met at a workshop at Karamu Theatre, one of the oldest theatres in the nation. Later, the group regularly met at a building on Superior Avenue and Ansel Road, where these young men transformed themselves from ordinary citizens to bold literary messengers of defiance and racial pride.