Real Talk

There has been a lot of media attention about the tragic death of Trayvon Martin but is it enough? In this country, it's acceptable to send a person to prison for dog fighting, but a kid can be gunned down for walking while black and they call it self-defense since Trayvon was armed with a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea. Has this nation really come to this? As I was watching CNN yesterday, I realized that "The Talk" Corey Dade had with his parents was the was same "talk" my parents had given me. I am a black man and my point of view comes from that perspective. Throughout my life, I have found myself in situations/circumstances where I'm the only black person in the group. When I was at PRCC, at the time of my induction, I was the only black officer/inductee in PTK (Phi Theta Kappa), at William Carey, I was the only black person, during that trimester, to join Sigma Tau Delta,but I'm called a racist because I see things differently. Maybe my perspective is different that yours because I didn't understand then and I don't understand now, how I could go to class, games and pep rallies with white students, but our proms were segregated and those same racist folk are still here, trying to tell me that I should "know my place." It seems that I'm not black enough for black people and too black for white people. I guess I'm a social enigma. But despite the attempts to label me, I'm still the reason why broke, EBT-carrying white women clutch their purses when they see me, despite the fact that I may be sporting a pair of Prada loafers and they're rocking the latest Payless special. But I've learned to live with the name-calling and stereotypes. All black men know these streets are not safe for us. We know that we might end up on the wrong side of a cop's bullet for pulling out our wallets. We know that seeing a cop doesn't make us feel protected or safe. Back in the day, parents in my community,gave their sons "the talk". We were informed about sex, drugs and alcohol, but we also were told about a set of rules designed to protect us against suspicions too often associated with the color of our skin. I was taught: 1. Never leave the store without a shopping bag and a receipt, 2. Never loiter (When police look for a suspect the first place they go is to any group of black males loitering curbside.), 3. Never go anywhere alone, 4. Never doubt that trouble may strike anywhere, anytime. The fifth rule was: never talk back to police officers and never reach in your pockets. This rule was never given out in my house; my parents taught me to transcend matters of race, interrogate them when necessary, and even ignore them where possible. But these rules were my parents' attempt to buffer/protect us against dangerous situations, but as we know, that just like threading a needle, every effort is not met with success. Michael Sklonik, stated that "the kind of tragedy that led to the death of Trayvon Martin will happen again, whether we want to say it or not." and as I sat there, listening to his comments, I realized that it had happened many times before and we don't have to look far to see the similarities. In December, 2008, Billy Joe Johnson, an athlete from George County, was gunned down after a traffic stop, but after the investigation, his death was ruled accidental. In July, 2009, Randy Prince was gunned down by Virgil Matthews. After Prince was murdered, Judge Nell Cowart, released his killer because she felt there was no probable cause for his arrest. Later, he was put on trail for the murder and was found not guilty based on the "castle law." These two cases didn't get national attention like the case of Trayvon Martin because the suspicious death of a black person in the State of Mississippi is considered "business as usual."
Skolnik went on to say the following: "But, let's be clear. Let's be very, very clear. Before the neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman, started following him [Trayvon]against the better judgement of the 911 dispatcher. Before any altercation. Before any self-defense claim. Before Travyon's cries for help were heard on the 911 tapes. Before the bullet hit him dead in the chest. Before all of this. He was suspicious. He was suspicious. suspicious. And you know, like I know, it wasn't because of the hoodie or the jeans or the sneakers. Cause I had on that same outfit yesterday and no one called 911 saying I was just wandering around their neighborhood. It was because of one thing and one thing only. Trayvon is black."
So, I fight for Trayvon Martin. I fight for Billy Jo Johnson. I fight for Randy Prince. I fight for every young black man who looks "suspicious." Being quiet is not an option, for we have been too quiet for too long.