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

March, March, March… (For Million Worker March and Brother Ray Quan)
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
30 Apr 2025
🖨️ Print Article
Black labor

1.
Dust dances on sunbeams
streaming through busted eyes;
Lunch bucket language
no longer lingers
in forklift fumes

Ghostly weeds peek
through concrete once
rumbling with machines;
crippled pallets loiter
on loading docks,
No longer loaded
with dark skins sparkling
beneath fresh coats of sweat…

WILL WORK FOR FOOD
Reads the crumpled cardboard
sign at the long light—
“Recovery’s
right around the corner—”
getting the vote out…

2.
We tattoo highways
on mountainsides;
Weave jeweled towers
in skylines;
Scoop diamonds from
Mother Earth’s womb…

We conjure City-
sized ships, that glide
smoothly under horses
trotting above ports;
We crown chassis
with treasure chests that
waltz through traffic to
warehouses, windows and
Bellies of the world

3.
We flip the burgers and peel the potatoes,
We pick the grapes, lettuce and tomatoes…
We print the Bible, Koran, pesos and dollars
We stitch the britches, shirtsleeves, and collars…
We print the newspapers, phone and electric bills,
We press stethoscopes, scalpels and dental drills…
We stitch belts and shoes; we ship rhythm and blues…

March, March, March
Militant rank-and-file

March, March, March
Forward an inch—a mile

March, March, March
We never march alone

March, March, March
With leaders of our own—

We divine water—
Electricity and gas;
We clarify sewage—
Transport the mass…

March, March, March
Militant rank-and-file

March, March, March
Forward an inch—a mile

March, March, March
We never march alone

March, March, March
With leaders of our own—

We push the papers—
Monitor the screens;
We count the rand—
Rupees and beans…

March, March, March
Militant rank-and-file

March, March, March
Forward an inch—a mile

March, March, March
We never march alone

March, March, March
With leaders of our own—
March, March, March
Militant rank-and-file

March, March, March
Forward an inch—a mile

March, March, March
We never march alone

March, March, March
With leaders of our own—
March, March, March
Workers on the rise…

March, March, March—
October surprise!

March...

© 2004. 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.

Black Labor
Working Class
class consciousness

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:
Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
BAR Book Forum: Zophia Edwards’ Book, “Fueling Development”
01 April 2026
In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer five questions about their book.
Gary Wilson
Dow 50,000 — and workers selling blood
18 February 2026
The Dow Jones hit 50,000, yet 200,000 people a day are selling their blood plasma to survive.
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
Day 40-something pedophile-protecting government shutdown
19 November 2025
Day 40-something of pedophile-Protecting-government shutdown —Snapshot of resistance revealed our unwillingness to 
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
Tuesday night’s tiny glimpse of what The People really want
12 November 2025
“Universal suffrage is thus the gauge of the maturity of the working class.
Jon Jeter
From Cadillac-Driving Welfare Queens to Xbox-Playing Slackers, the Oligarchs Vilify Others for Their Own Larceny
09 July 2025
America’s ruling class keeps inventing new boogeymen to disguise its endless war on workers, while wealth flows upward and capitalism’s collaps
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
No kings and things (Of mobilized masses)
25 June 2025
“You can
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
One Big Beautiful Bank Job!
28 May 2025
Masked. Armed to the teeth. Synchronized
Louisiana Workers Council
Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful’ Cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and More
28 May 2025
Following is a fact sheet about how Trump’s “big beautiful” budget bill cuts essential services and benefits for workers to give to the wealthy
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
DOGE— Department Of Grifter Enrichment
07 May 2025
“Empathy is the bane of western civilization.” 

More Stories


  • 2026 Casa Ben Linder Bluefields Delegation
    Nicaragua and The Miseducation of the People of the United States
    17 Jun 2026
    Nicaragua is a living example of anti-imperialist resistance and people-centered development. The job of those in the U.S. is to fight the lies spread by the media and support this revolution through…
  • Hassan El Bial
    The Pentagon's Information War Comes Home
    17 Jun 2026
    The Pentagon is using censorship to control what Americans see as it carries out aggression around the world. However, censorship and war propaganda did not start with Trump or Hegseth.
  • Black Alliance For Peace
    World Cup 2026: FIFA and the U.S.’s White Supremacist Colonial Partnership is already on Full Display
    17 Jun 2026
    FIFA has shown itself to be a colonial instrument that serves white supremacy and U.S. imperialism. Referees, players, and fans from non-white nations are being harassed, denied entry, and brutalized…
  • Dr. Gerald Horne
    Juneteenth Book Signing & Lecture with Prof. Gerald Horne
    17 Jun 2026
    Prof. Gerald Horne’s book signing and lecture in Brooklyn, New York on June 19.
  • Gregory P. Downs
    The Hidden History of Juneteenth
    17 Jun 2026
    Most people think Juneteenth was simply when enslaved Texans learned they were free, but that is a myth. They knew the war ended but the fight for freedom did not end with one proclamation; it took…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us