"I "
. . . .: ..
Oscar Brown, Jr.'sPSALMS OF SEDITION
n'
Some tremble till at echoes of tho tim
When violence could win mo t every day
Brute force w loosed to perpetrat gr t cnm
Resi tance only brought gun into play
Since there w no ppeal above th bomb
With which a raci t tyrant's reign wept
Mass murder manuf ctured "Uncle Tom ..
While" Aunt Jernimahs" went to bed and ept
But from tho monstrous nightmares of the pa t
Awe, w e that dreadful dream i don
The dawn has bro e: the day is here, at last
When truth can blaze brightly as the sun
To outshine all the hadows of that ni ht
And put its troop of i norance to flight
We need not beg th bri of "welfare tates"
For crum tossed to us in our poverty
The uch "charity" creates
Is what prevents OQl' gaining property
We neitHer need a handout, nor a loan
"Foundation grants" ought not be our desire
Instead, we need a place to call our own
A land in which our offspring can acquire
A greater portion of this planet's wealth
To have and hold ccording to our kind
Attending to our own welfare and health
The habitat 0 humans hope to find
White "charities" are fashioned to degrade
We don't need them, we just need to get paid
"Paid what? By whom? And why? You must be mad!"
White racists cry as they refuse us flat
"Don't bring that up. Let's face it, you were had
"Bac ttlen, ut thi is now, and th t i that!
"How dare yo mention any reparations
"For all the so-called wrongs of long ago ,
"Be grateful we have brought you 'civilization'
"And. let ,you in 00 om.e,o£ ,what e.lcMw
"Forget about what all we have amassed
"That's ours, protected by our Constitution
"But, who knows? Once a few mOJ1 years have passed
"Perhaps we can arrive at some solution
"Meanwhile, just pay your taxes as you're told
"And don't behave so rambunctious and bold!"
But why should Black people pay white folks' taxes?
How can we rightfully owe still more "dough"?
A 100 at history reveal the fact is
That is not how the money ought to flow
Long centuries of labor gotten free
From, generations long gone to their graves
Without an ounce of profit they could see
Can't just be "written off' a "due from laves"
Not when it leaves u in thi fi al fix
Akin to slavery, most of utili br e
And all too vulnerable to the trick
And trap of U'OOps of rich Caucasian folk
No! Income taxes Black ought not to pay
Till settlement' been made for yesterday
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enttated
tio ized
ill e're bent
-
ond cl
hington
Part IV--
THE
MO TOFIT
The system und r which we live i. ju: t
A rear big r k d poker game in whi h
Bla k players have n programmed to "go bust"
While rich white amblers pile "blue chips" in sta k.
Few Bla k people are dealt a decent hand
- And even those who are can hardly bet it
Without big money, what chance do we land?
We certainly cannot win "pots" on credit
Becau the game i played with high finan e
Amounts which poor Black players never get
To gamble where there's obviously no chance
Of winning, make us" uckers" when we bet
Black people need to take a chance that' real
A darker dealer, but a fairer deal
It's now time for Black people to attack
The cau es of our poverty and pain
All we have lost may not be gotten back
But truggle promi a righteou gain
Our target must Washington, D.C.
If self-determination i our goal
For rest assured we never will break free
While under U.S. Government control
The fact is we were not emancipated
Who sits where Watergate has' lately hown
The heights to which hypocri y ascends
The weight of the corruption we have known
The depth to which official greed descends
To Washington, D.C. we still are bound f
To confront what there is no getting 'round
Oh god to which racism' had us prey
Their god of Abraham and hard, cold cash
Thou who ha watched u a we slaved away
While white people increa e their wealthy stash
Thou who hast een the hell through which
we've g n
Beheld us whiplashed through most dreadful times
Thou who hast seen us keep on keeping on
A if in puni hment for unknown crimes
o more do we need thee to countenance
Our degradation, rape and outright murder
We do not need thee! No! Go! Get thee hence!
You arc no god of ours. Go! Get thee further!
ow, a we break thy Federal controls
We will not have thee loitering 'round our souls
or is it for ourselves alone we stand
Though s If alone. ems quite often enough)
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ur cau sc WIll bcnefitthis entire land
By brin in times not near. 0 ten. and tou h
Ra I. m IS a xufling insututi n
That bl � us all fr m b 109 all we an
And 0 deprive. u of the contribution
That each might make if he were his "own man"
It co in cruelty to keep the pri on
It co � in energy to keep strength down
It ·t in deep emotional divi ion'
And fear t walk the treets at night in town
Black people will help other folk as well
Find heav n by abolishing this hell
To be continued next week
Reprinted with permission from the
Palm Beach Gazette
o CAR BRO , JR., world-farn d entertainer and Palm
Beach Gazette literary advi or, i fa t b cornin a mainstay at
the Zora . eale Hurston Art & umanitie Festival in' Eaton
ville, Florida. This year, with the th me Zora Neale Hurston
and Folk Culture: Their Influenc on African-American The
a:re, Oscar wa joined by his Jov ly wife, Jean Pae ,and the
like of actor Danny Glov r, Vin tt rroll, r. Pearl Primus
�ndproducer-directorWoodi King,Jr. Th word onthe street "
IS that 0 car and Jean will 'cr tin a cultural attraction in
Orlando that promote th rich hi tory of lack music and
pro . de a con ciou alternative to th i n yworld madne
-I,
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