The Blue & White Flash / Staff Writer
Never would I have imagined that in 2012 I would hear news of a tragic event whose victim would be called a modern day Emmett Till.
It pained my heart and disturbed my soul when I tuned into the Michael Baisden show on 97.7 one afternoon to hear of the February 26 murder of another young boy, 17- year-old Trayvon Martin. Since Martin’s murder and the poor measures that have taken place in the investigation, outcries of injustice have been heard across the nation.
A “Million Hoodie March” was held in Manhattan, N.Y. on March 22, and many other marches were held in states such as California, Illinois, and Texas. According to the WHCE News 10 website, hundreds of protesters participated in the march. Just this weekend a rally was held outside the city hall in Jackson, Miss. in memory of the slain young man.
In recent news, there have been reports made that Trayvon was suspended for having marijuana residue in his backpack and when looking at his Facebook and Twitter activities, his character has been questioned. My question is what relative purpose does the information about Trayvon’s suspension have to do with his murder case? Anybody?
Instead of calling Trayvon’s character into question, why not call George Zimmerman what he really is, a killer who should be brought to justice.
It is obvious that Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain and person responsible for Trayvon’s death has taken his volunteer duties a step too far. He obviously believes himself to be the judge, jury and exectuioner.
People, we should be tired of hearing about the thousands of stories like Emmett Till, Oscar Grant, Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell, Yusef Hawkins, Michael Griffith and Troy Davis. If these names do not sound familiar, do the research. The information that you will find should cause you to feel uncomfortable about every injustice, those that have received national publicity and those that have not.
Not everyone has had the opportunity to have a building or movement named in their honor and for those millions of lives lost, young and old, we need to come together, talk about these issues and find a way to protect our people. If today was your last day on earth and something were to happen to you, if you were silenced, unable to defend yourself, who would stand up for you?
It warmed my heart to see the many pictures of supporters of all races and backgrounds dressed in hoodies, the online petition signings, the footage of the protest demonstrations, but what’s next? Will we continue to sit around and wait for more cases like these to emerge?
I have a 13-year-old brother who has had to defend himself due to racially offensive matters, and through it all, my parents stood behind him the entire time, letting him know that he had their support no matter what the outcome may be.
After hearing about Trayvon, I immediately thought about my little brother. It would hurt me deeply if something like this happened to him. I truly commend the Martin family for standing up for their son but the responsibility to stand for him is not theirs alone.
In all of this, I have one major concern: When the cameras stop flashing and the interest of the world comes to an end, who will continue to stand for Trayvon and the many others whose lives were taken from them?
For any goal to be achieved there must be a plan. A team will either effectively execute that plan or watch the plan fail. If we do not work together, displaying results that will move the human race forward, we as a people will have failed the millions of people like Trayvon.
If we do not stand up for one another, who else will?
The views expressed in the commentary are those of the writer(s) and in no way represent the views of The Blue & White Flash.
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