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

(OSCAR) Old Southern Californian Aryan Racketeers
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
25 Feb 2015
🖨️ Print Article

(OSCAR) Old Southern Californian Aryan Racketeers

by Raymond Nat Turner

Curtain rising, Black images

Fading, lost, stolen, strayed;

‘White’ suspense speeches

Read like corporate talking

Points, red carpet, 30 million

Viewers, Grand Jury True Bills—

Dice loaded, card’s marked,

Diversity smells like charcoal…

Well, “Hooray for Hollywood”

Never meant Black folk no good…

Get over opinions of color-

Blind ‘white’ men with

Bleached white plastic

Smiles, like you got over

Santa Claus, tooth fairies and

Taney’s Dred Scott script—

Oscar Micheaux’s the only

Oscar relevant, ignore pink-

Eyed lobbyists with detached

Retinas, jaundiced scammers

Legally blind, like monkeys on

Capitalist Hill, like sightless

Juries who saw Rodney as King-

Kong, “controlling the situation,”

Mike Brown as “Hulk Hogan

Bulking up, running through shots,”

Eric Garner as an irresponsible

Stuntman, holding his breath

After his scene was a wrap—

Well, “Hooray for Hollywood”

Never meant Black folk no good…

Quit crashing burning house

Parties, wincing at embers, and

Acrid smoke blinding teleprompter

Readers, missing the Hurricane and X

Denzel whipped up, Round Midnight

Dexter Gordon delivered, timelessly,

Soldier Story Adolph Caesar marshaled, masterfully…

…Selma?

Well, “Hooray for Hollywood”

Never meant Black folk no good…

So tap grapevines, pool pennies

Grown at grassroots; hand out

Statuettes resembling Robeson,

Josephine Baker, Ruby Dee and

Ossie Davis—call ‘em ‘Robies,’

‘Paulies,’ ‘Josies,’ ‘Rubies,’

‘Ossies—‘ just do it…

Raymond Nat Turner can be contacted at Raymond (at) upsurgejazz.com
Raymond Nat Turner © 2015 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


  • Ali Abunimah
    Israel’s “opposition” offers genocide with better PR
    04 Nov 2026
    Israel's election produced no real alternative for Palestinians, because every Zionist party from Eisenkot's Yashar to Golan's Democrats shares the same commitment to apartheid, occupation, and…
  • Abayomi Azikiwe
    Ethiopia Retakes Rebel Stronghold in Tigray While Seeking to Stabilize Security Situation
    04 Nov 2026
    Armed opposition groups have failed to make gains as the capital, Addis Ababa, remains firmly under government control.
  • Orinoco Tribune
    Why Several Latin American Countries Abstained at UN Vote on US Blockade Against Cuba
    04 Nov 2026
    The collapse in support for the UN resolution against the U.S. blockade of Cuba reflects Washington's aggressive diplomatic pressure and blackmail on Latin American governments rather than any…
  • Gary Wilson
    Ebola workers strike in Congo as the United States goes after the mines
    04 Nov 2026
    Washington signed agreements for Congo's copper and cobalt while Ebola spread across 67 health zones and medical workers went unpaid for their hazardous labor.
  • Brad Reed
    ‘Oligarchy Is on the Ballot’: Reports Uncover Unprecedented Sums Ultrarich Spent to Buy 2026 Midterms
    04 Nov 2026
    “In a democracy, it’s supposed to be one person, one vote, and the more one person can influence, the less egalitarian our system becomes,” said one expert.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us