Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

The Unemployment Question(s)
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
04 Feb 2014
🖨️ Print Article

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…

 

Raymond Nat Turner can be contacted at upsurgejazz.com.

 

Raymond Nat Turner © 1986 All Rights Reserved

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


More Stories


  • BAR Radio Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio January 9, 2026
    09 Jan 2026
    In this week’s segment, we discuss why Israel is the first and only nation to recognize the Somaliland region of Somalia and the impact of this act on the Horn of Africa region. But we begin with a…
  • Pro-Venezuela protest
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Solidarity with Venezuela and Opposition to U.S. Aggression and Kidnapping of the Maduros
    09 Jan 2026
    The U.S. attack on Venezuela and kidnapping of the president and first lady are the culmination of years of intervention against that state. Corinna Mullin discusses the importance of anti-…
  • Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Israel's Recognition of Somaliland Destabilizes the Horn of Africa
    09 Jan 2026
    Israel is the first and only nation to recognize the Somaliland region of Somalia as an independent state. The zionist entity's plan to establish a military presence will enhance the U.S. decades-…
  • Venezuelan support for Maduro
    ​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist , Larry Johnson
    U.S. Aggression Against Venezuela
    07 Jan 2026
    Director of the North-South Project for People(s)-Centered Human Rights, Ajamu Baraka, joins Spotlight on Press TV to analyze the latest developments in Venezuela, how and why this illegal…
  • The Editors
    Venezuela 2026: Black Agenda Report Special Issue
    07 Jan 2026
    Black Agenda Report Special Issue on Venezuela.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us