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

(OSCAR) Old Southern Californian Aryan Racketeers
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
25 Feb 2015
🖨️ Print Article

(OSCAR) Old Southern Californian Aryan Racketeers

by Raymond Nat Turner

Curtain rising, Black images

Fading, lost, stolen, strayed;

‘White’ suspense speeches

Read like corporate talking

Points, red carpet, 30 million

Viewers, Grand Jury True Bills—

Dice loaded, card’s marked,

Diversity smells like charcoal…

Well, “Hooray for Hollywood”

Never meant Black folk no good…

Get over opinions of color-

Blind ‘white’ men with

Bleached white plastic

Smiles, like you got over

Santa Claus, tooth fairies and

Taney’s Dred Scott script—

Oscar Micheaux’s the only

Oscar relevant, ignore pink-

Eyed lobbyists with detached

Retinas, jaundiced scammers

Legally blind, like monkeys on

Capitalist Hill, like sightless

Juries who saw Rodney as King-

Kong, “controlling the situation,”

Mike Brown as “Hulk Hogan

Bulking up, running through shots,”

Eric Garner as an irresponsible

Stuntman, holding his breath

After his scene was a wrap—

Well, “Hooray for Hollywood”

Never meant Black folk no good…

Quit crashing burning house

Parties, wincing at embers, and

Acrid smoke blinding teleprompter

Readers, missing the Hurricane and X

Denzel whipped up, Round Midnight

Dexter Gordon delivered, timelessly,

Soldier Story Adolph Caesar marshaled, masterfully…

…Selma?

Well, “Hooray for Hollywood”

Never meant Black folk no good…

So tap grapevines, pool pennies

Grown at grassroots; hand out

Statuettes resembling Robeson,

Josephine Baker, Ruby Dee and

Ossie Davis—call ‘em ‘Robies,’

‘Paulies,’ ‘Josies,’ ‘Rubies,’

‘Ossies—‘ just do it…

Raymond Nat Turner can be contacted at Raymond (at) upsurgejazz.com
Raymond Nat Turner © 2015 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


  • Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Democrats No Longer Have an Excuse for Holding a Virtual Convention
    03 Jul 2024
    Biden’s debate meltdown has Democrats scrambling, but they no longer have an excuse for holding a virtual convention.
  • Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Debate: What are elephant excrement/donkey dung ‘Double-Hater’ Millions to do?
    03 Jul 2024
    "Debate: What are elephant excrement/donkey dung ‘Double-Hater’ Millions to do?" is the latest from BAR's Poet-in-Residence.
  • Abayomi Azikiwe, Black Agenda Report Contributor
    Political Deadlock Continues in Efforts to Open Peace Talks in Sudan
    03 Jul 2024
    The SAF still accuses the United Arab Emirates of supporting the RSF and the crisis continues for the people of Sudan.
  • Kossi “Ayomide” Paul
    France, its Far-right, and Africa: An Update on the Ongoing Parliamentary Elections
    03 Jul 2024
    France's recent parliamentary elections indicate a rapid political shift to the right. Africans both on the continent - where several nations remain French neo-colonies - and in France will…
  • Kevin Edmonds
    The Kenyan Intervention in Haiti: Another Wave of “Diplomatic” Terrorism
    03 Jul 2024
    The invasion of Haiti that has just begun with the arrival of Kenyan police, was long in the making. It is the end result of a long imperialist war of destabilization and propaganda against the…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us