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

Dancing in the streets…
BAR Poet-in-Residence Raymond Nat Turner
02 Oct 2019
🖨️ Print Article
Dancing in the streets…
Dancing in the streets…

“The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible”—Albert Einstein

Calling out ‘round the world—
are you ready for
Class struggle heating up
all spheres of life with
Superstorms of new soldiers?
Tsunamis of 21st century fighters
Flooding from Ferguson, Gaza, Baltimore, 
Occupy, Madison, #Me Too, Arab Spring,
Central America, Standing Rock…steeling 
Themselves seeking solutions?

Calling out ‘round the world—
are you ready for 
a brand new beat? More
about its abundance of
All Stars than Junior;
Millions more Vandellas than 
Martha; Tens of millions more
Miracles than Smokey; Billions
more Supremes than Diana?

Faces fresh as the 
first day of school
Were not skipping class,
Toyi-toyiing to University
of Class Struggle chants;
Their fresh eyes studied— 
up close—the tilted table,
marked cards, loaded dice,
Cooked books…The game
Rigged against those
watching their islands 
Sink beneath waves; those
Losing their farms to deserts…
Rigged like ‘hearings’ to
hear what fossil fools
Heard 30 years ago!

Faces fresh as the 
first day of school
Fresh eyes studied math closely:
Multiplication=addition for the 99%—
Division/subtraction=the1%’s chance…
Fresh eyes studied 
Weaponized words in English:
“civilian casualties,” 
“collateral damage,”
“enhanced interrogation technique—” 
“extraordinary renditions” from
Multibillionaire 
Media ain’t “mainstream…”

Fresh eyes studied Government: 
Truthful politicians, dry water,
gentle murder, walking war crimes;
Studied $election $campaign circuses—
Clowns 
Working crowds for1% pick pockets;
Studied 
Bullet points: police protect tents, 
cranes, cardboard mattresses;and 
Serve caged climate migrant kids
soiled clothes, fever, lice, scabies—
Compliments of capitalism!

Faces fresh as the 
first day of school,
Fresh eyes studied
Odds, gambled—Bet on
the sun, wind, water and
Themselves…

© 2019. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.

COMMENTS?

Please join the conversation on Black Agenda Report's Facebook page at http://facebook.com/blackagendareport

Or, you can comment by emailing us at comments@blackagendareport.com

Climate Crisis

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


Related Stories

Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright
Theme From the Bottom: Post COP 30 Reflections and the Case for a Global Bottom/Up Collective Intervention of Oppressed and Colonized People
26 November 2025
The path to climate liberation requires a radical break from failed leadership and a serious commitment to class analysis.
Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright
The Paris Climate Agreement is the Global Climate “Movement’s” Two State Solution
01 October 2025
The Paris Climate Agreement is akin to a two-state solution for a planet on the brink, a falsehood giving the ecocide perpetrators cover for th
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
The fire this time … (as Amiri tolt me)
29 January 2025
“Scratch a lie—find a thief !”
Abayomi Azikiwe, Black Agenda Report Contributor
COP29 Summit Marked by Acrimonious Debate Over Emissions and Finance
27 November 2024
Annual climate gathering reflects divisions between the industrialized states and the Global South.
Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright
Unprincipled, Unstrategic, and Unsustainable: e(U)logy for the U.S. Climate “Movement”
13 November 2024
The ineffectiveness of the climate movement during the 2024 election signals its inevitable collapse.
Max Ajl
Dismantling Green Colonialism: Stages of a Just Transition?
09 October 2024
Dismantling Green Colonia
How the Climate Crisis is Most Detrimental to the Black Community
Forrest Palmer
How the Climate Crisis is Most Detrimental to the Black Community
19 July 2023
The earth recently experienced its hottest days on record. Here in the U.S.
Biden Redeploys Pentagon Troops to Somalia While Humanitarian Crisis Looms
Abayomi Azikiwe
Biden Redeploys Pentagon Troops to Somalia While Humanitarian Crisis Looms
25 May 2022
Joe Biden's troop redeployment in Somalia is a continuation of a 30-year long US intervention.
COP26 climate meeting
The Editors
COP26: Black Agenda Report Special Issue
17 November 2021
Black Agenda Report is giving special attention to the recent COP26 climate summit.
Climate Action Pretense at COP26
Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
Climate Action Pretense at COP26
17 November 2021
Joe Biden’s presence at COP26 was a photo opportunity giving the impression that he is fighting the climate crisis. But the U.S.

More Stories


  • US Post-9/11 Wars Caused 4.5 million Deaths, Displaced 38-60 Million People, Study Shows
    Ben Norton
    US Post-9/11 Wars Caused 4.5 million Deaths, Displaced 38-60 Million People, Study Shows
    24 May 2023
    Wars the US waged in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan following September 11, 2001 caused at least 4.5 million deaths and displaced 38 to 60 million people, with 7.6 million children…
  • Abolish the GILEE Program and Stop Cop City: A Statement From the Black Alliance for Peace Atlanta Citywide Alliance
    Black Alliance for Peace Atlanta City-Wide Alliance
    Abolish the GILEE Program and Stop Cop City: A Statement From the Black Alliance for Peace Atlanta Citywide Alliance
    24 May 2023
    The purpose of U.S. law enforcement training in Israel is to learn the violent tactics used against Palestinians and bring them back to this country. 
  • Rising Tensions in Colombian Government Peace Talks with the ELN
    Peoples Dispatch
    Rising Tensions in Colombian Government Peace Talks with the ELN
    24 May 2023
    Colombia's president Gustavo Petro met with Afro-descendant, Indigenous and peasant communities affected by illicit crops and guerrilla and paramilitary groups in Colombia. Talks between the…
  • Sudan: The Left Welcomes Ceasefire, Calls for Involvement of Civil Society, Regional Institutions
    Pavan Kulkarni
    Sudan: The Left Welcomes Ceasefire, Calls for Involvement of Civil Society, Regional Institutions
    24 May 2023
    The Sudanese Communist Party has welcomed the ceasefire between the army and the Rapid Support Forces but has warned against monopolization of the peace process by US and Saudi Arabia. It has called…
  • Black Agenda Radio May 19, 2023
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio May 19, 2023
    19 May 2023
    How bail reform has been undermined by legislators in New York State and around the country, and New York City mayor Eric Adams’ response to the killing of Jordan Neely. But first we learn about the…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us