Getting up off our knees

You know, when Trayvon Martin was first shot I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago. And when you think about why, in the African American community at least, there's a lot of pain around what happened here, I think it's important to recognize that the African American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history that doesn't go away.

There are very few African American men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. That includes me. There are very few African American men who haven't had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. That happens to me -- at least before I was a senator. There are very few African Americans who haven't had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she had a chance to get off. That happens often.

And I don't want to exaggerate this, but those sets of experiences inform how the African American community interprets what happened one night in Florida. And it's inescapable for people to bring those experiences to bear. The African American community is also knowledgeable that there is a history of racial disparities in the application of our criminal laws -- everything from the death penalty to enforcement of our drug laws. And that ends up having an impact in terms of how people interpret the case.

- Barack Obama

Not letting up just because it's Friday

When I was in grade school I got in a verbal dispute with a high schooler about religion while riding the bus home from school. I was an obtuse 10 year old then. I like to think I'm a little more informed now, but I'm still not one to back down from the giant. 

With me or not, let's finish this week strong. 

The Week The Blog Went Black

Native Born on race:

We acquit each other when we accept the idea that “race is not an issue.”
I want to tell you all, for your own good, stop saying that. If you think race isn’t an issue, then race is most definitely an issue for you. When you pretend something does not exist, you give it power. That’s why Harry said “Voldemort” instead of “He Who Must Not Be Named.” Be Harry. You cannot destroy that which you think does not exist. You cannot heal a sickness if you refuse to believe that you are sick. You deny a sickness, though, and it only grows.

Sophia Nelson:

For me as an attorney, I am deeply concerned about how this case was prosecuted from the very beginning. The fact is that George Zimmerman shot and killed an unarmed 17-year-old black boy, who was doing nothing but walking home with some candy and tea. The fact that George Zimmerman pursued this young teen, scuffled with him, and ultimately shot him, proclaiming self-defense, and was not even arrested the night of the murder by authorities should jolt all Americans as to the true racial subtext of this case. The fact that George Zimmerman’s brother Robert took to CNN’s Piers Morgan last night and called Trayvon Martin “angry,” “violent,” wanting to possess a “gun” and a user of “drugs” and as such ultimately responsible for his own death actually reduced many of us to tears. The case was riddled with race from the very beginning. To deny that is dishonest and simply not the truth.

Rage Against the Minivan:

The nation is paying attention to the burden and risk of being a black man. Let’s move to action. I was heartened to see the protests tonight, and to observe that the crowds were very diverse. I felt that the verdict yesterday sent a horrible message to black men, and I hope the protest sends a message that many people care. But we can’t leave it at a protest. We’ve got to tell young black men that we’ve got their back today, and every day. That is what community looks like. That’s how we will find justice. 

This is a race and socioeconomic issue, says Cornel West (link to video of transcript below):

Maher brought up how Zimmerman got involved in the neighborhood watch after a string of burglaries in his neighborhood. He asked, “Why in this country do young black people still have no better prospects than committing petty theft?” 

West declared, “The criminal justice system itself is criminal.” He said that Wall Street executives can get away with practically anything, but people are freaking out about marijuana in Martin’s system. On the question of whether blacks commit more crime, Mair agreed that it’s harder to go after white-collar crime and fraud. West added that young blacks and whites consume drugs equally, but blacks are jailed more.

We have to remember this was an unarmed, high schooler:

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Tavis Smiley: You can 'stand your ground' as long as you're not black:

 

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But it's not just the black community that's outraged. And it's not just the liberal community. It's young/old/white/Asian/Hispanic/Indian/educated/impoverished/upwardly mobile citizens for justice. It's anyone who's ever met a black man/loved a black man/talked to a black man/shook hands with a black man or respected a black man. It's parents/couples/singles and the childless. It's all of us who are citizens under a black president with blacks in our towns, our homes and at work.

The blog is black this week in honor of the memory of a child. 
And yeah, he was black.
It shouldn't matter, but it does.
And it carries significance so I won't overlook it.