say it like it is

as langston said in 1943
hitler took lessons from the kkk
that’s right, it was the great u.s. of a.
lighting up the nazis’ way

as huey & bobby said in 1968
imperialist amerikkka has no shame
looking to set the world aflame
& profit from the pain

so don’t say you’re surprised now
when the proud boys stage a coup
fascism wrapped in red white & blue
is anything but new.

By Claire Jean Kim

Biography:

Claire Jean Kim is Professor of Political Science and Asian American Studies at University of California, Irvine, where she teaches classes on comparative race studies and human-animal studies. Her first book, Bitter Fruit: The Politics of Black-Korean Conflict in New York City (Yale University Press 2000) won two awards from the American Political Science Association. Her second book, Dangerous Crossings: Race, Species, and Nature in a Multicultural Age (Cambridge University Press 2015), also received a book award from the APSA. Dr. Kim has given keynote and plenary talks in numerous countries, and she has written many journal articles, book chapters, and essays. She has published in popular venues such as The Los Angeles Times, The Nation, and Ms. Magazine, and she is frequently interviewed by the media on topics related to anti-Blackness, anti-Asian racism, protest movements, animals, and ecology. She has appeared as an expert commentator on MSNBC and NPR and in documentary films and podcasts.