Like Trayvon Martin’s father, my heart is broken. I am sad to say that I expected this verdict. There is much to love about our country, but there are also things that happen to black people every day that make you want to put your head down and cry.”

Dr. Maurice Johnson,

I cannot say I was expecting a guilty verdict. Based on the jury selection, the evidence presented from the key experts, and the ill-prepared key witness, the verdict was a given, yet emotionally  I was not prepared  for a not guilty verdict. I am upset, disappointed, and confuse, but I am among the thousands who feel this way.

An injustice after injustice occurs nearly everyday; therefore, this case is not a “wake-up call” to me. Martin’s death will be written in history alongside the many deaths of minorities killed as a result of their race and profiling. It is a reality that we continue to live in this society; however, despite the verdict may, this is only the beginning. Hopefully, the Martin family will pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against George Zimmerman, yet for now the family must heal if they can ever.

I cannot imagine what Martin’s parents and love ones are going through at this moment. To bury a son is one heartache, but to sit and watch the assassination of his character is another. The case took a different route when the trial of Martin’s death was replaced with a trial on his perceived character establish by his Facebook and cell phones photos. As people began to formulate a picture of Martin’s character they neglected to recall the character of a neighborhood gun-toting watchman in a gated community following an unarmed teenager who he perceived as a threat because of his appearance.

Zimmerman’s defense attorney remarked on how Zimmerman was being punished for protecting himself, yet it was a preventable conflict that did not have to result in the death of Martin. Regardless of this not guilty verdict, Zimmerman will continue to face the consequences of his actions…somewhat. His entire life will be a death sentence because of his actions in February 2012.  He will now be the one watched, followed, profiled, and pursued because he ‘stood his ground’. He will live the remainder of his life as a guilty man with or without the verdict. Whether he eventually testifies or not America will be waiting to hear him speak.

America is hurting, yet I do not understand why various news sources are reporting on how this case has divided the nation. This nation has been divided. It is nothing new especially when it comes to race related issues. It is another slash to this deep wound of racial injustice. As for now, we should keep the Martin family in our prayers and we should also peacefully take action against this injustice as well as many others. I am not going to call this case a wake-up call for if you are just now waking up to the issues of this nation there is a problem for justice has rarely been blind.

We, not only blacks, but we as a people must actively stand our ground. This means we must do more than sport a hoodie with a fist in the air, signing online petitions, or even voice our concerns online through social media. We must act and use our voices. Be involved in local organizations. Speak out to your local government leaders. Use the power that we have. Let us not wait until a court case comes around to act. We must do something now not only for Trayvon, but for  Harriet Tubman, Harriet Jacobs, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, James Baldwin, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Viola Luzzo, Mandela, the four little girls and survivors, Medgar Evers, Freedom Riders, freedom fighters, our grandparents, and our sons and daughters. This is not a time to riot or hate, but rather the chance to fight with our words and power purely in self-defense.

Just a thought.
Until the next post.

Christina

“How does it feel to be a problem? To have your very body and the bodies of your children to be assume to be criminal, violent, malignant.”

W.E.B. DuBois