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Happy Birthday, General B

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General Baker, speaking at Benton Harbor rally in support of Rev. Pinkney and the community’s struggle against Whirlpool.
General Baker, speaking at Benton Harbor rally in support of Rev. Pinkney and the community’s struggle against Whirlpool.

 
September 6, 2016
Happy Birthday, General B,
You can never be far from me —
Times are tough, just like you said
Corporations positioned to see us all dead.
They don’t need us to work, so
Our value feels low —
Computers been hired, so
We all can just go.
In the hands of these pirates,
Our tomorrows seem dim;
We remember your words,
Fight, Fail, Fight once again.
You are here in our thoughts,
In the years we all shared,
Clarity guides us, so
We ain’t hardly afraid.
A new world from technology,
Stands close at hand;
All that is needed is for the
World to demand.
So on this September, we pledge
For us all;
To demand a better life where
Humanity stands tall.
Happy Birthday, General B…
You will never, ever
Be too far from me.
Maureen D. Taylor, Michigan Welfare Rights
Editor’s note: General Baker, a nationally and internationally known labor leader from Detroit, a life long-revolutionary, educator of the people, and contributor to the People’s Tribune, died in 2014.  

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Maureen Taylor is a longtime economic justice leader and a leader in fight to stop privitization of water in Detroit, and elsewhere. She is chair of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization.

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