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


  • Julia Kassem
    ‘Israel’: The Glue That Pieces Together the Maxwell-Epstein Saga
    18 Feb 2026
    Julia Kassem argues the Maxwell–Epstein saga is best understood through the lens of Israeli intelligence networks, tracing a continuity of espionage, blackmail, and media influence from Robert…
  • BAR Radio Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio February 13, 2026
    13 Feb 2026
    In this week’s segment, we discuss conditions in Libya, the forces behind the assassination of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, and the struggle to regain sovereignty after the 2011 US/NATO destruction of that…
  • Dockworkers strike
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Chris Smalls on the Dock Worker Actions in Solidarity with Palestine
    13 Feb 2026
    Chris Smalls is the founder of the Amazon Labor Union, the first independent worker-led union in the US and the first to successfully organize an Amazon warehouse. He joins us from London to discuss…
  • Saif al-Islam Gaddafi
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    The Assassination of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and Conditions in Libya
    13 Feb 2026
    Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libya's assassinated president Muhammad Gaddafi was himself assassinated on February 3, 2026. What does his death tell us about Libya today? We are joined by Essam…
  • Jemima Pierre on MAKC
    Jemima Pierre, BAR Editor and Contributor , Jared Ware
    What's Really Going on in Haiti Right Now? Featuring Jemima Pierre (& Lessons We Fail to Learn)
    11 Feb 2026
    Dr. Jemima Pierre, BAR Editor and Contributor, joins Millennials are Killing Capitalism for a conversation about US-led Imperialism's latest schemes for the people of Haiti. They discuss tactics…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us