SF Supervisor Jane Kim Makes Silent Protest

Newly-minted politician refuses to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

By Jamilah King Feb 04, 2011

In a city with a rich history of progressive politics, San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim is making perhaps her one of her loudest political acts without saying a word. How? She refuses to recite the pledge of allegiance.

At a board meeting on Tuesday, Kim rose with her fellow Supervisors to recite the pledge. But she didn’t recite it, and critics pointed out that she hadn’t done so since taking office in January.

For Kim, it’s a personal decision, one that she says she’s stuck to since high school.

"I don’t think our flag represents a nation where there’s livery and justice for all," Kim told KTVU. "And I reserve my right to disagree or to even protest when I think our government isn’t representing the best of our ideals or principles."

A career civil rights attorney, Kim was previously president of the San Francisco Board of Education where she advocated for expanded access for immigrant families and promoted politics credited with decreasing expulsion rates at SFUSD. That work alone earned her a shout out from the folks at Disgrasian, who joked that she’s practically perfect, at least in all the ways that Tiger Mom Amy Chua might find acceptable.