In his debut poetry collection, black ivory, Karega Ani provides an unflinching, and at times, scathing critique of American politics, racism, criminal justice, jingoism, religion, identity, and hypocrisy. From cover to cover, black ivory serves as a liberation roadmap. It is a battle cry for the disenfranchised (see Conspiracy Realists), a rekindled fire for the disaffected (see The Law of Opposites), a glimpse into the mysteries of the ostensibly banal (see Silent Majority), and much, much more. 'Sankofa' is the ancient African concept that one must sometimes refer to the past in order to have a clearer understanding of the present and a clearer heading towards the future. In essence, one must sometimes raise the dead to save the living - not an endeavor for the faint of heart. Karega Ani is not faint of heart. As such, black ivory is not a doe-eyed collection of pretty words and hackneyed concepts. black ivory is what happens when words are weaponized. It is Baraka, and Hughes, and Sundiata, and Giovanni, and Oyewole, and, Wells, and the collective yell of the voiceless. black ivory is protest poetry. It is the density of a dead star - a succinct screed screamed into tension thick air. It is acerbic, irreverent, historic, and prophetic. It is angry in a most punctual way, and it will be timeless until times finally change. Hopefully, the contents of this book will serve to render the contents of this book obsolete.