'Imperial Boomerang': Aimé Césaire's Négritude Masterpiece Arrives in Los Angeles

An insightful lens through which to analyze the recent anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles is through the work of the late poet and politician Aimé Césaire, who passed away in 2008. His influential 1950 essay, *Discourse on Colonialism*, scrutinized a post-Nazi Europe that seemed to overlook its own historical transgressions against colonized peoples.Césaire argued that European powers, before suffering from Nazism, had actively supported it, ignoring its atrocities inflicted on non-Europeans. This phenomenon, which he termed the "Imperial Boomerang," resonates profoundly today. In observing the protests erupting in Los Angeles, Césaire would undoubtedly note parallels with resistance movements globally and the shocking militarization of law enforcement reminiscent of the US ‘War on Terror.’ Reports of 700 Marines deploying to LA further echo the ongoing consequences of imperial actions. Césaire would recognize the grim irony in ICE targeting vulnerable workers, viewing it as a manifestation of the systemic injustices that exacerbate global migration crises.