While we don't know what made the neighborhood watch feel he needed to defend himself, we do know that a young Black man lost his life because he "looked the part," like this.
To this day the 28 year old man has not been arrested and no charges have been brought against him. In less than a month Trayvon Martin's family has been left with no recourse for the actions of the man who killed their son. But as the name Trayvon Martin takes over social media and the news, more and more people are calling for justice.
Rallies are being held all over the country with people rocking hoodies and making calls for justice for Trayvon and his family.
With these rallies comes many questions. Why is it important? What do we want? What are our goals?
Here is why I rock the hoodie:
- I have a nephew he is 14 years old and he rocks hoodies. He is at the age right now, that he'll stand around outside of a movie theater having watched a movie, will walk home from catching the school bus, or can just hang out at the mall. But if how he's dressed makes him suspicious, then I'm sorry, I'm rocking the hoodie. It's just as bad as someone saying the way I dress in short shorts and a tank in the summer is asking for me to be raped. Now we are saying that wearing a hoodie and walking home is a cause to get shot and lose your life. It's a direct assault on our young men (of ALL races) who are engaged in the "hip hop culture"
There are many young men who are like my nephew, who look like Trayvon, who look like the image above. These young men shouldn't be stereotyped at an expense that costs them their lives.
- Why is it okay for some man to still be walking around after killing a young kid? Why haven't charges been brought up? Regardless of guilt, murder equals being tried in the court of law?
- When I have a son, I want him to know that his life is valued. That who he is is valued. Yes we teach our young men to act a certain way, to carry themselves with pride, with dignity. But we don't expect our young men to be gunned down. There are 99 problems that I already face raising a young Black man in this country and in this world. Fear of him dying by the hands of someone ignorant is not one of those 99 problems I want to always have to think about.
- Why not? What are we losing by rocking a hoodie? We've already lost yet another Black man for a senseless crime. Trayvon will be marked in history under an abundance of names like his- Emitt Till, the 4 Little Girls bombed in a Birmingham Church and Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner. Trayvon Martin, for me, will be a name not forgotten. A name like the ones who went before him, that didn't deserve his end.
I get that for many there needs to be a goal. That as a community we have lost our "protest power." But sometimes we need to unite simply for the need to heal. I'm tired of coming back to the same thing. I'm tired of people being to confused to have an open and honest dialogue about race in this country. I am tired of feeling that anytime I get engrossed in stories like this, that I will be labeled "Angry Black Woman." We have an obligation to our youth, that they won't die. We have an obligation to our youth to protect them. We have an obligation to ourselves to leave this world a better place then we got it.
To a community, we are wasting the gifts we have been given by the activists and martyrs before us. If we don't stand up now, when will we stand up..
So today and every day next, I will wear my hoodie with pride and with one name in mind Trayvon Martin, may you never be forgotten.
