Thursday, April 5, 2012

ALTERNET: "Let’s Be Honest, Trayvon Martin is Dead Because Black People are “Scary”"

This was posted on ALTERNET March 26, but I have just found it and feel the need to share.

Let’s Be Honest, Trayvon Martin is Dead Because Black People are “Scary”
by Chauncey DeVega 

(Below is not an excerpt, just my own thoughts. Please follow the above link to read Chaucey DeVaga's piece)
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Personally, I have not written about Trayvon Martin's death because I have just been too angry to put any coherent words down. All I can say is that it is disgusting.

It is disgusting that a grown man can kill a child with no recourse.
It is disgusting that people feel the need to reach for random tweets, common suspensions and stereotypes to defend his murderer.
It is disgusting that when the people demand justice no one listens.
It is disgusting that in 2012 being black in the wrong neighborhood will still get you killed.
It is disgusting that this is seen as a singularity. How many black and brown lives have been lost to this type of racism?

We cannot only blame George Zimmerman; he is a product of our racist society. Nothing drives home how insidious colorblind racism is more than a Intro to Sociology or Race class. Many white students argue that institutional racism does not exist, or that the news is not biased. Some of them will be invoke their sociological imaginations and see the connections between media portrayals of black men--both in popular media and new sources-- and see how being black means being suspicious. Dangerous. A few will begin hearing these code words in their own conversations, falling out of their mouth or of friends and family, and change.

Some will become George Zimmerman. They will live in fear of Other. For them a black teen is dangerous simply because he is black. They actually will fear for their lives. And the state may say they are right.