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


  • Glen Ford , BAR executive editor
    Trayvon and White Madness
    21 Oct 2026
    As Black Agenda Report is poised to celebrate its 20th anniversary, we reprint Glen Ford's commentary on the killing of Trayvon Martin and the impunity provided to his killer in a criminal justice…
  • Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    The Democratic Party Still Hates the Left
    21 Oct 2026
    The Democratic Party is terrified of even small liberal reforms and will not abide left leaning democrats thwarting their plans for austerity and neoliberal orthodoxy.
  • Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    ESSAY: Calypso as Comment, Gordon Rohlehr, 1979
    21 Oct 2026
    “So the calypso ceases to be entertainment on a trivial level and becomes a vehicle whereby the society is going back and searching for its soul.”
  • Jacqueline Luqman
    The World Rises Up Against the U.S. Neoliberal Order
    21 Oct 2026
    The protests spreading across Spain, India, France, Chile, and other countries are responses to the global neoliberal order of austerity, privatization, and deregulation.
  • Belen Fernandez
    Israel’s Lebanese Land Grab
    21 Oct 2026
    Under the guise of a farcical “pilot zone” project to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty, Israel is pursuing a scorched-earth strategy while entrenching its occupation.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us