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

The Unemployment Question(s)
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
04 Feb 2014
🖨️ Print Article

by Raymond Nat Turner

Livin’ on nothin’, while hunger works full time

No wonder, some brothers stumble into crime.

 

The Unemployment Question(s)

by Raymond Nat Turner

 

Licking bitter flaps on unemployment envelopes

somewhere under the rainbow

Lies

true hues

in bright Red,

Black

and dark Blues:

 

Drawin’ unemployment’s like drawin’ straws

Drawin’ unemployment’s like drawin’ straws

We come up short under rich folks’ laws.

 

Livin’ on nothin’, while hunger works full time

Livin’ on nothin’, while hunger works full time

No wonder, some brothers stumble into crime.

 

And the rich cry, “...crime, crime, crime” every day

And the rich cry, “...crime, crime, crime” every day

While cocaine’s trafficked by the C-I-A.

 

We been slavin’ fo’ the mastahs and what we git?

We been slavin’ fo’ the mastahs and what we git?

Stack-o-papers to fill out, askin’ dumb shit!

 

“State here the reason you’re out of work.”

“Answer the following then report to the clerk.”

“Will you accept work in your usual trade?”

“What’s your income with benefits paid?”

“Do you own a farm, or a ranch?”

“Do you have a savings? What branch?”

“Did you look for work all this past week?”

“Where did you go, with whom did you speak?”

“Are you a citizen of the U.S.?”

“If answering ‘No’, then why not ‘Yes’?”

“Have a seat and wait to be seen”

“Any questions about what we mean?”

“Anyone in line who voluntarily quit?”

“Step out — go over there and sit”

“Sorry, you can’t be seen until ten —”

 

“Provided, you fill this out for WIN...”

 

We been slavin’ fo’ the mastahs and what we git?

We been slavin’ fo’ the mastahs and what we git?

Appointment

with

revolution

When we fit…

 

Raymond Nat Turner can be contacted at upsurgejazz.com.

 

Raymond Nat Turner © 1986 All Rights Reserved

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


More Stories


  • Memphis City Council meeting
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Memphis Communities Fight Elon Musk's Data Center
    30 Oct 2026
    KeShaun Pearson of Memphis Community Against Pollution discusses the struggles against Elon Musk's data center and Memphis' compromised elected officials.
  • BAR Radio
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Report October 30, 2026
    30 Oct 2026
    In this week’s segment, we discuss Brazil's presidential election, where the incumbent president secured victory after losing in the first round of voting. But we begin with a conversation about an…
  • Brazil
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    How Lula Won in Brazil
    30 Oct 2026
    Robert Wilson analyzes Lula da Silva's comeback from defeat in the first round of voting in Brazil's presidential election.
  • Margaret and Sabby
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist , Sabby Sabs
    Trump ABANDONS Gulf States! Iran Base HIT!
    28 Oct 2026
    BAR Executive Editor Margaret Kimberley joined Sabby Sabs to analyze recent developments in West Asia.
  • Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Twenty Years of Black Agenda Report
    28 Oct 2026
    Reaching a 20th anniversary for Black Agenda Report is indeed a milestone. But longevity alone is not what makes this publication special to thousands of readers. BAR’s principled journalistic…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us