4by BAR poet-in-residence Raymond Nat Turner
Why, dey otta hab logos on dey suits
Tellin’ de wurl how deys in cahoots—
Maybe den dem lil’ Negroz unnerstan
Dat logo leaduhs is workin’ fo’ de ‘man?’
My Wise Country Cousin on Logo Leaders
by BAR poet-in-residence Raymond Nat Turner
Off wit smokin’ jackit, silk pajamuh
Fo’ photo-ops, posin’ in Alabamuh
But, frum ebry thang I hear an I see
Dey is still de blak booze-wah-zee—
Corprit as de summa day is long
Lak two lef shooz, deys jus wrong!
Dey’s de wurs ob de bottum feeduhs
Dats, why I calls dem logo leaduhs!
Why, dey otta hab logos on dey suits
Tellin’ de wurl how deys in cahoots—
Maybe den dem lil’ Negroz unnerstan
Dat logo leaduhs is workin’ fo’ de ‘man?’
Dem logo leaduhs ain’t about much
‘Cept, co-optin ebry thang dey touch
Why, dem Negroz de lowest ob de low
How dey turn a march into a trade show?
I dun tolt you, son, it ain’t no mistree—
Dey wrote de book on re-writin’ histree!
Dem Negroz is puttin’ us all in danguh
Infestin’ Selma wit de Drone Ranguh!
How a man killin’ folk ebry Toozday,
Deliverin’ families’ wurs bad news day,
Hab de nerb enuf to invok de Norf Star?
Constetushallnull lawya dey shud disbar!
How he gon’ fix his mouf ‘bout non-vilunz
Wen Occupy an’ Blak Lives Matter:…silunz?
How he gon’ fix his mouf ‘bout non-vilunz,
Wen Libyuh an’ Seerya I jus’ hear: …silunz?
He talkin’ an’ gestrin lak he channlin’ Dr. Kang—
You rekun dem drones wud be de Dr.’s thang?
Dem lil’ Negroz jus’ crawl frum unda a rock?
Why caint dey see de Commanduh a Warlock?
When dem lil’ Negroz gon’ wake dem sefs up—
Quit shakin’ de spare change beleef cup…?
Raymond Nat Turner can be contacted at Raymond (at) upsurgejazz.com
Raymond Nat Turner © 2015 All Rights Reserved
In this week’s segment, we talk about the latest iterations of immigration enforcement and their connections to racist public policy, mass incarceration, and the settler colonial foundations of the…
Our guest is Dr. Rosemari Mealy. She is the author of "Fidel and Malcolm: Memories of a Meeting," which analyzes the significance of the 1960 meeting between Fidel Castro and Malcolm X. She has lived…
The Trump administration is accelerating policies meant not just to deport undocumented people, but to restrict every avenue of legal immigration from the Global South. Abraham Paulos is Deputy…
In this episode of El Taller, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth sit down with Ajamu Baraka, national organizer and spokesperson for the Black Alliance for Peace, a former vice-…
There is nothing mysterious about Trump’s effort to curb legal immigration. White supremacy is the explanation.
