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

A Li'l Somethin' for Dick Gregory
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
31 Aug 2017
🖨️ Print Article
A Li'l Somethin' for Dick Gregory
A Li'l Somethin' for Dick Gregory

A Li'l Somethin' for Dick Gregory

by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner

Our white-bearded cannon
fell silent—
The day became grayer…
I know, I know, I know, I know…
He was my Mom’s favorite funnyman—
She bought his books, his vinyl
Speaking to her like Malcolm
(who she shared Turkish Coffee
with on his trips west, fishing for men)

I remember his mantra
He chanted like a Buddhist Priest:
“You youngsters got a lotta work to do…”
“You youngsters got a lotta work to do…”
Doubling us over,
splitting our sides, shaking our cores…

I remember his mantra
He chanted like a Buddhist Priest:
“You youngsters got a lotta work to do…”
“You youngsters got a lotta work to do…”
Piercing steel veils with X-ray vision
puncturing absurdities with barbed tongue—
Soul-ar powered bullshit detector
administering smell tests

I remember his mantra
He chanted like a Buddhist Priest:
“You youngsters got a lotta work to do…”
“You youngsters got a lotta work to do…”
while coming as close as we’ve come to
Having a Super Hero
putting his body
On the line running,
Marching, fasting, speaking,
Teaching us to follow
the money where the
bodies are buried…

Raymond Nat Turner © 2017 All Right 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


  • U.S. Spreads Misery Across the Globe Imposing Sanctions on a Third of Humanity
    Jeremy Kuzmarov
    U.S. Spreads Misery Across the Globe Imposing Sanctions on a Third of Humanity
    04 Jan 2023
    The U.S. imposes unilateral coercive measures, sanctions, against millions of people around the world. Sanctions are war by other means, creating as much damage as bombs and bullets do.
  • A Racial Disparity Across New York That is Truly Jarring
    Jesse Barber , Simon McCormack
    A Racial Disparity Across New York That is Truly Jarring
    04 Jan 2023
    Black people are disproportionately convicted of felonies across New York State. In Manhattan, a Black person is 21 times more likely to be convicted of a crime than a white person.
  • Black Agenda Report Will Return on January 4, 2023
    Black Agenda Report
    Black Agenda Report Will Return on January 4, 2023
    18 Dec 2022
    Thank you for your support in 2022. Black Agenda Report Will Return on January 4, 2023.
  • Black Agenda Radio December 16, 2022
    Black Agenda Radio , Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio December 16, 2022
    16 Dec 2022
    The effort to save an African cemetery from destruction and desecration, witnessing Cuba and the Black liberation connection, and the impact of a Supreme Court decision in Moore v. Harper.
  • The Fight to Protect an African Cemetery in Bethesda, Maryland
    Black Agenda Radio , Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    The Fight to Protect an African Cemetery in Bethesda, Maryland
    16 Dec 2022
    Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo is a longtime contributor to Black Agenda Report and the author of No Fear: A Whistelebower’s Triumph Over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA. She is also the founder of…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us