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

For Fancy Miss Nancy
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
19 Dec 2018
🖨️ Print Article
Nancy Sue Wilson 1937-2018
Nancy Sue Wilson 1937-2018

Guess who I saw
today, black and white photo,
Marching, Montgomery from
Selma, ‘65?

Guess who I saw
at my high school swingin’ the
Trio; urging us to stay in school?

Guess who I,
was privileged to sequence
a later CD for, late one night?

…and you don’t know, you don’t know how
Glad I am that she
put the purr in whisper, with a sultry
Sound that could make subpoenas seem sensuous

…and you don’t know, you don’t know how
Glad I am that she
Appeared, sparkling, at the end of the
golden era—looking as good as she sounded—
Her face should grace
Buckeye State flags emblazoned
“There will never be another you…”

…and you don’t know, you don’t know how
Glad I am that she
Hovered earth— stunning hummingbird,
gorgeous humanitarian, giving the greatest
performance of her life, moments I loitered—
not seizing the time and asking, “When did
You leave heaven?”
Though, I think it was maybe ’37? I know she’s

Free Again…

© 2018. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.

Raymond Nat Turner is an acclaimed poet and performing artist. You can find much more of his work at http://upsurgejazz.com.

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 Book Forum: Matthieu Chapman’s Book, “Anti-Black Racism in Early Modern English Drama”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Matthieu Chapman’s Book, “Anti-Black Racism in Early Modern English Drama”
    22 Jul 2021
    This book analyzes Early Modern English Drama as a form of cultural production in which the paradigm of Early Modern England was shifting to account for encounters with black Africans.
  • BAR Book Forum: Julia Rose Kraut’s “Threat of Dissent”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Julia Rose Kraut’s “Threat of Dissent”
    22 Jul 2021
    Ideological exclusion and deportation from the United States, and how they has been consistently used as tools of political repression.
  • People Working A Minimum Wage Job Can’t Afford Rent Anywhere In The U.S.
    Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
    People Working A Minimum Wage Job Can’t Afford Rent Anywhere In The U.S.
    22 Jul 2021
    Over 40% of Black and Latinx households pay more than 30% of their income on rent, compared with 25% of white households.  
  •  Black Agenda Radio for Week of July 19, 2021
    Blsck Agenda Radio with Maergaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
    Black Agenda Radio for Week of July 19, 2021
    21 Jul 2021
    Black Agenda Radio for Week of July 19, 2021 Class Struggle Shapes Haiti Political Conflict
  •  Zuma Imprisonment: “Riots” or “Insurrection” in South Africa?
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
    Zuma Imprisonment: “Riots” or “Insurrection” in South Africa?
    21 Jul 2021
    In the wake of the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma on corruption charges, two South African provinces were swept by riots that current President Cyril Ramaphosa called an attempted “insurrec
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us