Trayvon Martin

I have been silent on the Trayvon Martin case because I had no words. I only had an overwhelming sense of grief. Someone said she was in mourning and then I realised that is what I am feeling.  Why am I so sad? Why am I not angry?  What am I grieving?

Trayvon Martin wasn’t my son. My son is an adult but I think I see my son at 16/17 years old in Trayvon Martin.  I asked my son what he would have done at age 17 if he was being followed by a strange male. He said he didn’t know but he guessed he might run. I think that is partially true. I think he would have run unless he was cornered then he would have fought back.

The strange part of all of this is that WE, the Black people, are still asking OURSELVES what WE can do to prevent these things from happening again and again. Well, we could change our skin color. Oh right, that is not possible. I think I just realized part of what I am mourning. I am mourning the idea that a Black life in America has any value at all.

Someone made the comment to me that Florida has some f*cked- uped laws and courts.  This was my response to him:

“if it was only Florida I would be able to find the words to discuss it. But the reality is that this case harkens back to the Jim Crow days when as a Black person you had to cross the street or walk in the street if a White was walking toward you. Also, a Black person was expected to lower their eyes and act deferentially toward any white person for fear of being attacked or killed. Black mothers have been telling their sons for far too long how to deal with the police. When a man like Levar Burton has to put his hands outside the window of his car when he is stopped by the police for fear of being shot, there is something wrong in America. As much as I love my son I wish he had been born a girl. I would still worry about him but I would not worry that some gun-toting wannabe will kill him simply because he doesn't like how he looks. I am part of the first generation to attend university and I think we believed that if we followed the "rules" we would be treated according to the "content of our character" rather than the "color of our skin". We were sold a bill of goods and nothing proves that more than the lack of respect for President and Mrs. Obama. This is a mistake for America. It is a mistake to continue to discount and marginalize this segment of society. All we want to equal justice. We want to be able enjoy our lives and our families without living in fear. We want to NOT have to explain to our children especially our sons how and why THEY have to change their behavior SO they won't be killed by some rogue person on a power trip. The hardest part of all of this is...WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO TELL OUR CHILDREN/OUR SONS NOW?”

Almost every parent of Black sons that I have seen is asking themselves this question. And we would like to have a answer from the TPTB...WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO TELL OUR CHILDREN/OUR SONS NOW? I am waiting to hear the answer.