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

DEI in the sky
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
05 Feb 2025
🖨️ Print Article
Donald Trump

“Fascism, by its very nature, must be
anti-rationale and anti-humane.”

                              â€”I.F. Stone

Not even semiautomatic “thoughts and prayers”
Fired, as black boxes, and burned bodies of
Beloveds are fished from icy waters of the
Potomac … And notification of next of kin trudges on  â€¦

Strong embraces … for bloodshot eyes?
Compassionate hugs leaning into shattered hearts? 
Comforting words … soothing souls in shock?
Humble head bowed in prayer with parents?

None of this. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Bupkis.
From the reigning Champions of Cruelty. Nothing.
Nada. Zilch. Zero. Bupkis from moneyed men with
Empty, mustard seed-sized hatred-filled hearts …

Nothing, except an absurd salad of words served 
Piping hot on high fructose corn syrup talking points;
And fermented elephant excrement. Nothing, except
Leftovers from tattered menus mimicking ancient agendas …

Evidence? Commonsense!
Had to be DEI—in the sky …
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion—
Oh, my!
Darkies  flying Blackhawks in
Civilian sky!

Must’ve been the Blackhawk Helicopter—
Or, was it an Apache? Dumb-assed Indians!
Wasn’t colorblind—merit-based—
Best and brightest—most and whitest!

Must’ve been monkey-ass Soul Plane Snoop Dogg
Pilots flying civilian aircraft into military airspace?
Wasn’t colorblind—merit-based—
Best and brightest—most and whitest!

Must’ve been woke, chicken wing Tuskegee
Airmen?    Never could fly like white pilots!
Wasn’t colorblind—merit-based—
Best and brightest—most and whitest!

Evidence? Commonsense!
Had to be DEI—in the sky …
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion—
Oh, my!
Darkies  flying Blackhawks in
Civilian sky!

Must’ve been Mexican and Haitian pilots—
Eating the dogs instead of flying the plane?
Wasn’t colorblind—merit-based—
Best and brightest—most and whitest!

Must’ve been transgender air traffic controllers—
Switching off radar for Gay-dar?
Wasn’t colorblind—merit-based—
Best and brightest—most and whitest!

Reagan knew! Wasn’t colorblind—merit-based—
Best and brightest—most and whitest!
Fired lazy-assed DEI air traffic controllers—
For the best and brightest—most and whitest!

Must’ve been Black flight attendants filing their nails,
Instead of calmly telling passengers, “We’re gonna die …”
Wasn’t colorblind—merit-based—
Best and brightest—most and whitest!

Evidence? Commonsense!
Had to be DEI—in the sky …
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion—
Oh, my!
Darkies  flying Blackhawks in
Civilian sky!

Negroes blew up two very fine Boeing Max jets! 
And blew the door off another over the Northwest—
Must’ve been a Black flight attendant opening the door 
In flight?

© 2025. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.
 

Raymond Nat Turner is a NYC poet; BAR's Poet-in-Residence; and founder/co-leader of the jazz-poetry ensemble UpSurge!NYC. You can Vote for his work at GoFundMe and PayPal.

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


More Stories


  • MANIFESTO: The Gary Declaration: Black Politics at the Crossroads, 1972
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    MANIFESTO: The Gary Declaration: Black Politics at the Crossroads, 1972
    23 Mar 2022
    In 1972, thousands of Black people met in Gary, Indiana to establish a political and economic platform that would influence the US presidential elections. The document from this meeting, The National…
  • Biden has Money for War, but Not for the Poor
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    Biden has Money for War, but Not for the Poor
    23 Mar 2022
    Joe Biden and congress have plenty of money for the military industrial complex, but only austerity for the people. The imperialist machine is always fed.
  • A war is not a war…
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    A war is not a war…
    23 Mar 2022
                                                         
  • BAR Book Forum: Interview with Charles Athanasopoulos
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Interview with Charles Athanasopoulos
    23 Mar 2022
    As part of the Black Agenda Report Book Forum, we interview scholars about a recent article they’ve written for either an academic journal or popular publication. We ask these scholars to discuss…
  • BAR Book Forum: Aria S. Halliday’s “Buy Black”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Aria S. Halliday’s “Buy Black”
    23 Mar 2022
    In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer five questions about their book. This week’s featured author is Aria S. Halliday. Halliday is Assistant Professor in the Department of Gender and…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us