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


  • Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Democrats' Treachery Ends the Shutdown
    12 Nov 2025
    Voter support for the Democratic Party in the government shutdown showdown was irrelevant. The Senate capitulation was a cynical and inevitable endgame for a party devoted to the austerity race to…
  • Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    ESSAY: The Southern Sudan, Joseph U. Garang, 1969
    12 Nov 2025
    “Thus it can be said that British colonialism is mainly responsible for the Southern Sudan problem…”
  • Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Pretty Boy Gavin Newsom, the Democrats' Rising Star
    12 Nov 2025
    California’s Governor is often referred to as Pretty Boy Gavin Newsom, and cameras do serve him well. What else do we know about him?
  • Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Tuesday night’s tiny glimpse of what The People really want
    12 Nov 2025
    "Tuesday night’s tiny glimpse of what The People really want" is the latest from BAR's Poet-in-Residence.
  • Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Interview with Tapji Garba
    12 Nov 2025
    In this series, we ask acclaimed writers about their work. This week’s featured author is Tapji Garba. Garba is a graduate student based in Toronto, focusing on Critical Black studies and political…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us