“Looky here, America What you done done Let things drift Until the riots come.
Now your policemen Let your mobs run free. I reckon you don’t care Nothing about me.
You tell me that hitler Is a mighty bad man. I guess he took lessons From the ku klux klan.
You tell me mussolini’s Got an evil heart Well, it mus-a-been in Beaumont That he had his start
Cause everything that hitler And Mussolini do, Negroes get the same Treatment from you.
You jim crowed me Before hitler rose to power And you’re STILL jim crowing me Right now, this very hour.
Yet you say we’re fighting For democracy Then why don’t democracy Include me?
I ask you this question Cause I want to know How long I got to fight BOTH HITLER – AND JIM CROW”
From The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes (p.281)
