by Raymond Nat Turner
Livin’ on nothin’, while hunger works full time
No wonder, some brothers stumble into crime.
The Unemployment Question(s)
by Raymond Nat Turner
Licking bitter flaps on unemployment envelopes
somewhere under the rainbow
Lies
true hues
in bright Red,
Black
and dark Blues:
Drawin’ unemployment’s like drawin’ straws
Drawin’ unemployment’s like drawin’ straws
We come up short under rich folks’ laws.
Livin’ on nothin’, while hunger works full time
Livin’ on nothin’, while hunger works full time
No wonder, some brothers stumble into crime.
And the rich cry, “...crime, crime, crime” every day
And the rich cry, “...crime, crime, crime” every day
While cocaine’s trafficked by the C-I-A.
We been slavin’ fo’ the mastahs and what we git?
We been slavin’ fo’ the mastahs and what we git?
Stack-o-papers to fill out, askin’ dumb shit!
“State here the reason you’re out of work.”
“Answer the following then report to the clerk.”
“Will you accept work in your usual trade?”
“What’s your income with benefits paid?”
“Do you own a farm, or a ranch?”
“Do you have a savings? What branch?”
“Did you look for work all this past week?”
“Where did you go, with whom did you speak?”
“Are you a citizen of the U.S.?”
“If answering ‘No’, then why not ‘Yes’?”
“Have a seat and wait to be seen”
“Any questions about what we mean?”
“Anyone in line who voluntarily quit?”
“Step out — go over there and sit”
“Sorry, you can’t be seen until ten —”
“Provided, you fill this out for WIN...”
We been slavin’ fo’ the mastahs and what we git?
We been slavin’ fo’ the mastahs and what we git?
Appointment
with
revolution
When we fit…
High-profile X podcaster and Elon Musk protégé Mario Nawfal recently produced some slick propaganda with Rwandan President Paul Kagame. His team repeatedly asked me to record a six-minute response…
A class consciousness among the working masses, one that takes the issue of race seriously, is critical at this moment. Still, the democrats are working to disrupt this effort to organize against the…
"State of the Union—or state of Capitalist decay?" is the latest from BAR's Poet-in-Residence.
In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer five questions about their book. This week’s featured author is Atiya Husain. Husain is Associate Professor of Africana Studies at Williams College…
The Black Radical Tradition is the rich legacy passed down by revolutionaries. It is an important tool today as we struggle to turn the Americas into a Zone of Peace.
