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

Ms. Cortez Goes to Washington
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
04 Apr 2019
🖨️ Print Article
ms cortez goes to washington
The real Washington DC isn't so different from the real Bronx or Queens...

“Never be deceived that the rich will
allow you to vote away their wealth.”
—Lucy Parsons

Bloody flashbacks: southern senators
sitting on Capitalist Hill…’til
Rigor mortis set in…
evolution of African-American voting

Supernatural powers of suffrage—20
minute recipe, 1 day—every 2-4 yrs:
Mix oceans of blood,
rivers of tears, with black cat dander; stir
Donkey dung, goober dust, a rabbit’s foot;
Sprinkle holy water; warm 365/24-7;
1/2 bake Hellfire Missiles in Predator Drone;
Crisp images of august bodies—Bipartisan
Business men/women serve up to seven
Wars—Trillions—Pentagon with the wind!
Finely chop cult of personality,
garnish liberally with piping
hot propaganda, glaze with PSYOP syrup;
Grease the Hill to Feel the Bern…until…

Ms. Cortez goes to Washington—
She don’t hafta come in cape, tights, “S” on
her chest or tattooed: “Care Bear Commie,”
compliments of Fox-box foot soldiers and
scribblers. Just “shake it up, baby.” Just
Talk the talk—impossible shit. We do the
Difficult: Montgomery Bus Boycott, 8 Hr.Day,
Abolition of slavery—We are our own Liberators!

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

© 2019. Raymond Nat Turner, The Town Crier. All Rights Reserved.,br/> Raymond Nat Turner is an accomplished poet and performing artist. You can find much more of his work at http://upsurgejazz.com.

poetry

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


More Stories


  • Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Regarding Nuclear War Between Israel and Iran
    15 Apr 2026
    The political fallout from Trump’s recklessness in West Asia continues around the globe, while some wonder how far the radioactive fallout might travel if the war on Iran were to go nuclear.
  • Anthony Rogers-Wright
    Israel Just Passed a Law Sanctioning the Lynching of Palestinians…So Why is the Congressional Black Caucus So Silent About it?
    15 Apr 2026
    The same caucus that celebrated the Emmett Till Antilynching Act refuses to condemn Israel's new death penalty for Palestinians.
  • Jacqueline Luqman
    Shortcomings and Benefits Of The UN Resolution On Transatlantic Trafficking
    15 Apr 2026
    The UN has finally called the transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity. But the resolution is not reparatory justice, and the nations that voted no or abstained show themselves to…
  • Sol Elias
    Death By Black Excellence
    15 Apr 2026
    Misogynoir, a term meant to name the specific violence against poor and working-class Black women is now being used as a shield for political elites.
  • Petros Bein
    Internal Colonialism and the Reproduction of Capital
    15 Apr 2026
    The United States operates as an internal colonial system. Black communities are treated like colonized territories, and the white working class is used as a tool to enforce that control.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us