Racism is a curable disease of the heart. It blinds people to the full humanity of others. It is a net contributor to ignorance and a state of semi-consciousness about the humanity of others. In its individual form it can be simply annoying or deadly. Its institutional form is the deadliest.
The Trayvon Martin case is an example of this deadly disease. Both the individual and institutional variants are evident and intertwined.
George Zimmermann, 28, the killer in this case, could not conceptualize the full humanity of a young, innocent, unarmed black teenager who was walking home after purchasing Skittles and iced tea from a nearby store. In Zimmermann’s twisted mind, it seems, Trayvon’s life was unworthy.
This mentality, on a broader scale, led to genocide in Nazi Germany, 100 years of lynchings in the American Bible Belt, and feeds the ongoing disparities in arrests, trials and sentencing prevalent in our judicial system today.
Zimmermann had no second thoughts about Trayvon Martin’s guilt. For far too many people like Zimmermann, melanin remains a badge of social degradation today in the 21st century as it was 150 years ago during slavery. Zimmermann demonized, devalued and destroyed Trayvon Martin, 17, with impunity. Zimmermann hopes a nation acclimated to the devaluation of the lives of black people will quietly accept his big lie of self-defense.
Compounding this tragedy is the convergence of individual and institutional racism. The Sanford, Florida Police Department has refused to arrest Zimmermann for murder and for failure to obey a direct police order not to follow Trayvon Martin. The Seminole County, Florida prosecuting attorneys have failed to file charges against Zimmermann almost a month after the crime, though 911 calls from neighbors indicate Trayvon Martin was calling for help moments before Zimmermann fired the fatal shot.
These two agencies sworn to protect, defend and uphold the law claim to be hamstrung by Florida’s 2005 “Stand Your Ground” law. This law allows people to stand their ground and defend themselves with deadly force. In this case, it is clear Zimmermann neither stood his ground nor could he have been defending himself since he was the pursuer and aggressor who stated upfront that a black teenager walking by was “up to no good.”
African Americans face so many big and small indignities every day that some of these institutions and individuals know it’s just a matter of time before other indignities grab and divert our attention. Hopefully, not this time. We must support the call for full prosecution of Zimmermann. And, we must do more.
Men and women of good will, regardless of race, gender, political-religious affiliation or station in life, must make sure Trayvon Martin’s death was not in vain. Let us celebrate the life, innocence and dignity of all unarmed American teenagers by naming American streets, highways, schools, parks, libraries and landmarks after Trayvon Martin.
As men and women who value the dignity of the human personality, we must do no less.
The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the death of Trayvon Martin.
