What Does Trayvon Martin Say About America?

Unless you've been hiding under a rock or just don't give a damn, you've heard about the murder of Trayvon Martin. Let us briefly pause and consider the facts, one more time:

Mr. Martin happened to be walking through a gated community when George Zimmerman, member of a local Neighborhood Watch Association (although recently it has been discovered isn't an official Neighborhood Watch group) spotted the young African American male walking. Mr. Zimmerman then placed a call to the 911 dispatcher, fearing the worst after seeing this person in his neighborhood.

Despite being told by the dispatcher to not follow the young man, Mr. Zimmerman proceeded to do so. The rest, sadly, has become history. When the histories of the "post-racial" era are written decades from now, they'll have to include this incident.

It has become a symbol of a sickness that has gripped America since the first slaves were brought to the shores of Virginia in 1619. But this sickness, the scourge of racism, discrimination, intolerance, and stereotyping has taken many forms in the last 400 years. Today it is particularly insidious because it exists alongside America electing a man of African descent to the presidency.

As an example, take the police investigation. The investigation has not been the local police department's finest hour. Were they just lazy? Incompetent? Or is this also an example of racism, in this case not really caring that the suspect killed was black? I don't know, although I must be honest my guts says more laziness and incompetence more than anything else. Which, in itself, is troublesome.

At that time, in November of 2008, I was filled with optimism about the future of race relations in America. Let me be clear: race relations now are better than they've probably ever been in American history. But they're not good enough. Not by a long shot. It may not be that Mr. Zimmerman is a racist (although the tapes indicate he used a racial slur when describing Mr. Martin) but it doesn't matter. At its basest, most visceral level, this incident, like so many others, proves that the life of a young black man in America---hell, any black man or woman in America---just doesn't seem to have the value it deserves.


I'm tired of that being the norm. And I hope you are too.