In a strange and deeply personal way, we are moved by the simplicity of the Trayvon Martin case. He was the embodiment of humanity so tragically trivialized, of reason so senselessly and recklessly abandoned.
The evidence caught on audiotape was incontrovertible. George Zimmermann, an armed vigilante, could not conceptualize an African-American youth worthy of the presumption of innocence and acted accordingly.
A jury bought Zimmerman’s perverse, but common, view and believed Zimmerman had the right to pursue, assault and, with impunity, kill an unarmed African-American child. Incredibly, this same jury believed that Zimmerman, who never lost control of his gun, was the individual heard on tape screaming for help.
Our outrage about this verdict is deeply rooted in our own mortality. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. eloquently stated hopes for a nation where people are judged, not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Significant progress has been made in that direction.
Unfortunately, 50 years later, we live in a nation poisoned by toxic racial animus and intolerance. Far too many Americans hold onto the original social intent of the Founding Fathers. In their eyes, hearts and minds, the African-American child, man, woman or president is worth less and undeserving of the full life, liberty and rights other Americans enjoy.
Compounding this racial animus are the nation’s entrenched fears about crime, the insane drive for militarization of ordinary life, the conundrums of black-on-black crime, and a non-strategic disposition towards the crises ravaging the lives of millions of black families, children and youth.
It is difficult if not impossible for most non-African Americans to fully understand what it’s like to be black and devalued in virtually every institution in the America society. Similarly, far too many African Americans cannot understand the depth of fear engineered in the hearts and minds of many Americans, especially whites, by the mainstream media’s constant drumbeat of sensationalized criminality.
It is at the junction of these two realities that hope and despair, tragedy and triumph, collide.
Fortunately, the nation and our communities are changing, though slower than we think they should. More people from all walks of life now share a profound understanding of our common and interconnected humanity and are determined to free themselves from the debilitating disease of racism that marred the great achievements of the Founding Fathers and subsequent generations.
These Americans, new men and women from all racial groups and walks of life, know that we must do more. We must reach out across all racial, geographic, religious and political lines towards one another and organize to strategically change the disgraceful devaluation and denigration of African-American children’s lives in communities across this great nation.
Emmett Till’s 1955 brutal murder, subsequent trial and “not guilty” verdict delivered to his killers accelerated the pace of the Civil Rights Movement. Similarly, Trayvon Martin’s death must not be in vain.
His life, innocence and death must accelerate a newer and deeper human rights movement that celebrates the life, innocence and dignity of children, especially African-American children. in our institutions. Let’s name American streets, highways, schools, parks, libraries and landmarks after Trayvon Martin, and celebrate his birthday, February 5, as a national day of action to deepen our efforts to reduce senseless violence in our communities.
As men and women who value the dignity of the human personality, we must do no less.
Walle A. Amusa is Education Committee chair for the Missouri NAACP.
