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

My Wise Country Cousin on Ferguson
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
10 Sep 2014
🖨️ Print Article

by BAR poet-in-residence Raymond Nat Turner

Ahm prowd ob Fightin’ Furgasun’s po, wurkin peeples, heroic youf Dey de wonz we can count on wen we’s fightin fo’ Justus, an’ Troof—

My Wise Country Cousin on Ferguson

by BAR poet-in-residence Raymond Nat Turner

Furgasun feel lak fresh air— a grate big festabul ob de masses
Now, de way folk unerstan it, depen on how dey see classes…
It’s lak de bus boycotts an freedum riots fo’ po’ folk lak me
But, de beginnin’ ob de en fo’ de blak booze-wah-zee…

 

Furgasun a revelooshunary skool teachin’ who/ how, ta fight:
Enamees ‘lef’, enamees rite, an’ enamees blak, enamees white—
Wen it pass a week, massas say, “Whoa, dis tang gittin’ messy!”
“We’s gon’ haf ta sen de Sharlaton boy, or at leese sen Jesse!”
But, ‘ol’ skool’ not enuf, dey mix ‘new skool’ in Massas’ Plan
Lak de ol’ witch: “a lil’ poison”——Blow, Lemon, an’ Van!
“Our niggas fly lak de witch’s monkees, roun’ de kid’s caskit
Speak disdane fo’ Fightin’ Furgasun: ‘millitunnz’ ta mask it!”

Me, ahm prowd ob Fightin’ Furgasun— speshally de heroic youf
Dey de onlee wonz ta count on fightin’ fo justus, ta tell de troof—
Dem fancy, remoat-cuntroled, Negroz ‘bout de bucks, an’libbin’ hi
“Follow de Eksampul ob Fightin’ Furgasun!” is our battulcry…

Raymond Nat Turner can be contacted at Raymond (at) upsurgejazz.com

Raymond Nat Turner © 2014 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


  • Adam Mahoney
    After a White Town Rejected a Data Center, Developers Targeted a Black Area
    14 Jan 2026
    Four million Americans live within 1 mile of a data center. The communities closest to them are “overwhelmingly” non-white.
  • Sara Flounders
    U.S./Israeli plans to destabilize Africa and Asia – Somaliland Recognition
    14 Jan 2026
    Breaking the longstanding African consensus on post-colonial borders, Israel is actively destabilizing an entire continent to serve its interests and Washington's.
  • Michael Smith
    Malcolm X’s Daughters Sue NYPD, FBI About Their Role in His Assassination
    14 Jan 2026
    A top-notch legal team is delving into how the FBI and their local police partners collaborated in both the assassination of Malcolm X and Chicago Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton.
  • BAR Radio Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio January 9, 2026
    09 Jan 2026
    In this week’s segment, we discuss why Israel is the first and only nation to recognize the Somaliland region of Somalia and the impact of this act on the Horn of Africa region. But we begin with a…
  • Pro-Venezuela protest
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Solidarity with Venezuela and Opposition to U.S. Aggression and Kidnapping of the Maduros
    09 Jan 2026
    The U.S. attack on Venezuela and kidnapping of the president and first lady are the culmination of years of intervention against that state. Corinna Mullin discusses the importance of anti-…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us