Trayvon's Murder Was an Act of Racism
Education Rethink 2013-07-18
The Crime Was Racist
George Zimmerman profiled Trayvon Martin, called the police and then provoked a fight, where he ended up shooting to death an unarmed black seventeen year old boy. I have friends and family on Facebook who have asked me "not to make it about race." But the truth is that it became an act of racism the moment that Zimmerman profiled a young black man carrying Skittles and made the assumption he was armed and dangerous.
It gets tricky, because Zimmerman was afraid for his life. Even though he was playing vigilante and preying on someone more vulnerable, he was afraid of his victim. And the scary thing is that he probably had no idea just how racist he was being in that moment. That's the thing about racism. It's so systemic and cultural that it is almost thoughtless. And the judging, stereotyping and hate often come out of fear and ignorance, which can often lead the offender into thinking he or she is the victim.
The whole crime, from the profiling to the slurs to the confrontation to the murder were all acts of racism. They began with a mindset of fear and misunderstanding.
Change the scenario to an unarmed white woman and Zimmerman suddenly becomes a creepy stalker. Suddenly the slurs, ignoring the warnings and following the victim around all sound like a more powerful man preying on the vulnerable.
It's easy to forget that Trayvon was the unarmed victim, being stalked and forced to defend himself against a man trying to play vigilante.
The Reactions Are Racist
What I find most disturbing about the case is the way people have put Trayvon Martin, a young boy who is already dead, on trial. Asking the question, "What was Trayvon doing to provoke Zimmerman?" is akin to asking, "What was that woman wearing to get raped?" It's a case of blaming the victim.
There is no law against carrying Skittles. And when he was followed, provoked and attacked, Trayvon Martin stood his ground. He fought back in self-defense. In a racialized society, that was his real crime. He wasn't willing to be "put in his place." He wasn't docile and timid and waiting nicely for the police to show up to a crime he never committed.
He was strong. Unarmed, but also strong. And that's still a crime in our racialized society. In our twisted cultural mindset, a strong black man defending himself is something that confirms the collective fear of the dangerous teenage black thug. The fact that so many people have put Trayvon Martin on trial suggests that our society is not all that far removed from the same fear that led Zimmerman to shoot a kid.
I'm not sure where we go from here, but I have a hunch it has to do with awareness, empathy and being honest about the fear and misunderstanding that leads to racist acts like profiling.