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

Will we walk, talk; Chew gum, text and BREATHE at the same time?
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
14 Aug 2024
🖨️ Print Article
Protest

“Power concedes nothing without a demand.
It never did and it never will.” —Frederick Douglass

I.

Will we march and fire speak—
Bringing fiery, fresh critique?
Trashing stifling ‘black' mystique—
Not sitting silent and weak?

Will we defeat Boss Tweet
Turning up our street heat—
Fighting for the Driver’s seat—
Making slaughter obsolete?

II.
Yes, we say “No!” to hungry Budapest ‘bout to bite
Our butts.  “No!” to Gremlin gangster—punctuating
Life sentences with “a little poison … ” “No!” to
Thin-skinned strongman; to never-ever wrong man.

Yes, we say “No!” to losing our heads in public places—

“No!” to embassy butchers. “No!” to facial recognition
Knowing our shadows’ whereabouts. “No!” to murderous
Monarchs.  “No!” to “Heil Hitler!” “No!” to  “Howdy Modi!”

Yes, we say “No!” to body-snatchers on theocratic cul-de-sacs.
“No!” to violent dress code-enforcers. “No!” to capital punishing
‘Morality’ Police. “No!” to the Texas Taliban placing hot
Orange buoys in barb-wired wombs—Making America grate again!

III.
And, yes, we promise People of  The World: No mo drunken
Negroz! Bloodshot eyes rollin ‘round in their heads— Happy
Dancing thin ice! Electric Sliding slick slogans: “Yes, we can”
And bottle Jim Jones Juice; For Regime “Change you can believe in!”

Yes, we promise People of  The World: No Negroz swearing
Black Magic Mumbo-Jumbo! “Wink-Wink/Nod-Nod” coded
Communication with Offal Office occupant. That all alphabet
Agency-affiliated ‘white’ folks ..uh … simply cannot decipher!
Yes, we promise People of  The World: No red hot Negro tongues
Licking bloody combat boots—post-surgical strikes on
Hospitals! Post-tons of guarantees to … uh … “Hold his feet to the
Fire …”

Yes, we promise People of The World: “Never again!” No

Silence of The Lambs/spook-ism years … No Three Monkey
Drone Ranger/De-porter-In-Chief crime spree years …
No nappy-headed foolishness of—NO demands on Dems!

Yes, we promise People of  The World: No unhoused Negroz—
Wandering cruel streets of capitalism— Mumbling, “Protect and
Respect” a Wall Street servant. ‘Pardoner’ of sub-prime predators—
Thieves—who wiped black wealth in homes from cooked books …

Yes, we promise People of  The World: Salt of the earth Negroz
Will not “Heel!” Repudiate resistance. Abandon mass struggle.
Leave liberation on shoulders of the road—to chase optical
Delusions—Superhero—Flying stars and stripes to the rescue (????)

© 2024. 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.

2024 election
Palestine
Fascism
Black politics
resistance

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
Short word problems: do the math
03 June 2026
Work these word problems. Work them as if your lives depend onYOUR correct answers.YOUR solutions … Because they do:
Community Movement Builders - Newark
CMB Newark Statement on the Delaney Hall Uprising
03 June 2026
The immigrants who revolted inside the Delaney Hall immigration jail are not criminals but prisoners of war, and their actions are those of res
Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright
Big D Dysfunction: Why The Democrat Party’s Latest Comedy of Errors is a Tragedy of Strategy 
27 May 2026
The party that installed its presidential candidate without a primary vote now blames its 2024 loss on everything except its own cont
x
Yarden Azoulay Katz
“Their Chaos is Our Peace”: Fighting Zionist Repression in Texas and Beyond
29 April 2026
Zionists continue their attacks on universities, exerting pressure to silence and terminate professors who express views in support of Palestin
John Parker
Socialist candidate John Parker: Abolish ICE and police, fund people’s needs
22 April 2026
Following is a recent campaign meeting talk by socialist congressional candidate John Parker.
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
STOP Cruel Reich Cult (CRC) from reinventing the wheel
01 April 2026
Cruel Reich Cult coveting Utopia of no unrest. No protest. Voiceless
Boycott the world cup
Black Alliance For Peace
100 Days From the World Cup, an International Coalition is Calling on FIFA to Move the Games From the U.S.
11 March 2026
The US has disqualified itself from hosting the World Cup through wars, genocide, and domestic repression.
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
Kid growing up under growing fascism
25 February 2026
When I became old enough to drink —then I became old enough to vote.When I became old enough to think —
Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
Epstein Files Shows How the Elites Move
04 February 2026
The importance of the Epstein files cannot be underestimated.
Jacqueline Luqman
Effective Organizing Requires Understanding Theory. That's Not A Hypothesis
21 January 2026
To dismiss revolutionary theory is to choose permanent defeat, reducing the movement to a hamster wheel of reaction and co-opted rage.

More Stories


  • Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Ben Passmore’s Book, “Black Arms to Hold You Up”
    17 Dec 2025
    In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer questions about their book. This week’s featured author is Ben Passmore. Passmore is the author of the ongoing comic book series Daygloayhole, as…
  • Charisse Burden-Stelly, PhD
    Your Anti-Communism Problem—and Mine
    17 Dec 2025
    ‘Anti-Communism Week’ is a legal blueprint for crushing dissent. By labeling social justice activism as terrorism and empowering a new national task force, the state is preparing for the most intense…
  • Jon Jeter
    Kenya’s President Attempts to Close Budget Gap by Selling Citizens’ Health Data to the U.S.
    17 Dec 2025
    Kenya is auctioning its sovereignty to foreign powers. The final item on the block is the genetic data of its own people.
  • Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright
    A People’s Orientation to the Praxis of People(s)-Centered Human Rights: Proposed Approach and Application
    17 Dec 2025
    The West's concept of human rights has always justified imperialism. The People(s)-Centered Human Rights framework offers a radical alternative—a practical tool for oppressed people to define their…
  • Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team
    BAP Backgrounder: U.S. Racist Immigration Policy Toward Haiti Reinforces Imperialism and Weakens Popular Sovereignty
    17 Dec 2025
    U.S. immigration policy is the domestic arm of its foreign policy. The attack on Haitian migrants is a direct consequence of Washington's ongoing war on Haiti's sovereignty, making their defense a…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us