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

I’m no nuanced Negro, but…
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
13 Oct 2021
🖨️ Print Article
I’m no nuanced Negro, but…
I’m no nuanced Negro, but…

I’m no nuanced Negro, but…

 

I’m no nuanced Negro—never have

been—never will be. I’m a lower the

forks, pick up the pallet, put it on the

Truck, stack the boxes; scrub the toilet,

mop the floor—lunch bucket, gloves, steel

toe boot crowd—picket line lovin’ kind of fella.

 

But, lemme see if I may help you in my

crude, crass, class—black/white—My

wrong/right; 99%/1%—Binary,

bourgeois/proletarian terms. Lemme see

if my unvarnished, rough hewn style helps…

 

Would you dare trust Slick Willy and R. Kelly

chaperoning; Jell-low Puddin’ Man bartending

your daughters’, your granddaughters’, your

nieces’ Quinceañeras, Bat Mitzvahs, Sweet Six-

teen Parties? Would you trust Ms Maxwell with

supervising the sleepovers? Would you send pre-

teen sons and grandsons to the Sierras to play

War games with a platoon of priests?

 

Yet, you suspend suspicion for acts starring

Kentucky Turtle in Kabuki Theater—silly Sinema?

You suspend suspicion for theater featuring Schmo

Munchkin-Schmo Biden-Madame Speaker slapstick…

 

You suspend suspicion, finding yourselves bamboozled

by special effects; had by stuntmen—corporate stickup

artists…

You suspend suspicion, see yourselves suckered by hollow

Heists…By artificial intelligence of Lilliputian politicians

on Wall Street strings screaming, “Hands up—

to the debt ceiling—this is a stickup, stupid muthafukkkas!”

 

 

© 2021. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.
 

Former forklift driver/warehouse worker/janitor, 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: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-town-criers-big-tooth-fund

PayPal: paypal.me/towncrierRNT

Black Liberation

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


Related Stories

Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
Gambling Man
10 June 2026
Even though the table’s tilted; the dice are loaded;and the cards are marked; even though light-fingered
Dhoruba bin-Wahad
Dhoruba Bin Wahad, Co-Founder of Black Liberation Army, Reflects on the Legacy of Assata Shakur and Revolutionary Sacrifice
03 June 2026
On May 30, 2026, a Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Assata Shakur was held at the Riverside Church in New York City.
​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
Malcolm X and Human Rights in the Time of Trumpism: Transcending the Masters Tools
20 May 2026
This piece was originally published in Black Agenda Report i
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
That Sunday morning Mom cried …
20 May 2026
I.I awakened early that Sunday morning. Seized time fortalking, that Sunday morning. Time for connecting.
Mark P. Fancher
Political Snobbery Delays Black Liberation
29 April 2026
The conditions are ripe for growing Black political consciousness, but revolutionary movements must broaden their reach to all sectors and clas
Mark P. Fancher
When Black People are Xenophobic They Risk Black Deaths in Iran
25 March 2026
Black youth fed xenophobia instead of international solidarity become military pawns who risk their own lives and their people's libe
Mark P. Fancher
A Role for Africans In Exile: “Revolutionaries at Large”
21 January 2026
Africans in the U.S. must weaponize their position and sabotage imperial projects from the inside.
Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
BAR Book Forum: Dara Baldwin’s Book, “To Be a Problem”
08 October 2025
In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer five questions about their book.
Frank Chapman
How the Enemies of Our Movement Are Using the Kirk Assassination
24 September 2025
Charlie Kirk's assassination has become the pretext to accelerate a pre-existing fascist agenda, targeting a broad spectrum of forces, from lef
Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
Solidarity Against ICE and the Entire State Apparatus
11 June 2025
Popular resistance against the Trump administration in Los Angeles and other cities is a very positive

More Stories


  • Jon Jeter
    Ready For the Revolution But Unable to See It: Blacks Recognize Racism But Lack Game Plan to Fight It
    30 Apr 2025
    Black communities once turned righteous fury into systemic change, but today’s outrage over slights like Shedeur Sanders’ NFL draft slide rarely sparks organized resistance. The blueprint for…
  • Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    March, March, March… (For Million Worker March and Brother Ray Quan)
    30 Apr 2025
    "March, March, March… (For Million Worker March and Brother Ray Quan)" is the latest from BAR's Poet-In-Residence.
  • Kai Cash
    Planting Seeds of Sovereignty: Lessons from the Sahel and Beyond
    30 Apr 2025
    When the West slaps on tariffs, it’s 'economic security'—but when the Sahel rejects exploitative deals, it’s called a threat. From Cuba to Burkina Faso, countries have fought for self-sufficiency:…
  • Sean L. Malloy
    How the creation of the ‘New Antisemitism’ was used to shield Israel and attack the Left
    30 Apr 2025
    Challenges to Zionism in the late 1960s and 1970s sparked an effort to redefine antisemitism focused on defending Israel while attacking the political Left. This resulted in the IHRA definition and…
  • Dave DeCamp
    Sixty-Eight Reported Killed by US Airstrike on African Migrant Facility in Yemen
    30 Apr 2025
    The detention facility appears to be the one that was previously targeted by the US-backed Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us