by BAR Poet-in-Residence Raymond Nat Turner
Commemorating
Beyond Vietnam,
Celebrating
Grassroots pregnant with
Struggle
Light up in Harlem
by BAR Poet-in-Residence Raymond Nat Turner
(BAR 7th Anniversary Celebration)
“Over truth there is light” – Moroccan saying
Friday night and a
Light burns bright
Up here in Harlem—
Bright like LED smiles
Of Douglass, Delaney
Walker, Cornish and Ida B.
We’re that light tonight…
We’re that light tonight,
Illumination
Lineage of tens of
Of thousands of torchbearers
Dealing Defenders,
Dispatches, Eagles,
Afro-Americans,
Mysteries, North Stars,
Freedom Journals, New York
Globes, Boston Guardians and
Memphis Free Speech & Headlights
We’re that light tonight…
We’re that light tonight,
Back at Riverside
Commemorating
Beyond Vietnam,
Celebrating
Grassroots pregnant with
Struggle birthing the
March on Washington
We’re that light tonight…
We’re that light tonight,
Not neon soldiers
Of Fortune 500
Foundation followers
Mumbling mule madness
We’re that light tonight…
We’re that light tonight
Streaming from Philly,
Connecticut, Jersey,
Filtering in from
Atlanta, Massachusetts,
Parts west, popping corks
On Champagne and wines
Red and white, toasting
Truth telling, illuminating
The people, instead of
“Speaking truth to power,”
Under Bill Clinton’s
Desk, like chittlin-breath
Buffoons are prone to do…
We’re the light tonight!
Raymond Nat Turner can be contacted at upsurgejazz.com.
Raymond Nat Turner © 2013 All Rights Reserved
Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia have suffered from a variety of U.S. interventions over many years. Proxy wars and unilateral coercive measures, sanctions, are the tools used to prevent these nations…
A national survey reveals that the criminal justice system neglects the needs of crime survivors, an October 19, 2022 hearing determines whether Mumia Abu Jamal may be able to appeal his conviction,…
Aswad Thomas is Vice President of the Alliance for Safety and Justice. He joins us from Atlanta to discuss the Alliance’s recently released report, Crime Survivors Speak: A National Survey of Victims…
Gwen Debrow is a member of the Campaign to Bring Mumia Home and the #LoveNotPhear Campaign. She joins us from New York City to discuss mobilizing for the next stage of Mumia Abu Jamal’s…
Margaret Kimberley appeared on The Critical Hour with co-hosts Garland Nixon and Dr. Wilmer Leon. They discussed the U.S. drive to sanction Russia which is causing economic damage and…
