Two weeks ago, Madison students and community members gathered on Library Mall to call for justice for Trayvon Martin and Bo Morrison. As more cases of senseless violence and outright racist killings come to light around the country, it is important to understand the underlying system of oppression that allows these killings to go unpunished.
 

Fear plays an important role in perpetuating this system. In the U.S., we are taught to fear young black men in hoodies, Muslims who wear clothing for religious purposes and immigrants who are wrongfully perceived as stealing jobs. Fear is used to justify the mass incarceration of black men, the wars in the Middle East and racial profiling of Muslims in the U.S., as well as anti-immigration laws such as Arizona’s SB1070.
 

The recent murder of Iraqi immigrant Shaima Alawadi, who was bludgeoned to death in her San Diego home, illustrates how fear-mongering elicits violence. The Alawadi family had received a threatening note, calling them terrorists and telling them to go back to Iraq. A similar note was found near Alawadi’s body the day she was murdered.
 

When fear-mongering tactics fail, smear campaigns take over. While hundreds gathered to remember Alawadi and groups across the country are organizing a “One Million Hijabs March” in solidarity with Shaima, a smear campaign led by Islamophobic groups turned public attention on Alawadi’s domestic affairs. By highlighting the tension in her family, the media has drawn the focus away from the possibility of a hate crime and instead placed blame on the victims. This also occurred in Trayvon’s case, as the media reports his suspension from school. These smear campaigns against the victims are reminiscent of our cultural practice of blaming rape victims for their own violation.
 

The connections between these incidents and racist culture of the U.S., as well as the uprising of ordinary people to protest injustice, point to the need and the timeliness for a united fight against a system that facilitates racial oppression. As people of all races recognize their mutual interests in ending racial oppression, we can rise up together as a powerful movement for change. The pressure to change is not going to come from the government, the law enforcement agencies or the media. All major social movements have begun with ordinary people standing up for what’s right.
 

If you are interested in fighting racial oppression, and if you would like to learn more about the history of racism and anti-racist struggle in America, please come hear Arab-American activist Ahmed Shawki, author of “Black Liberation and Socialism,” speak about what it will take to end racism and discuss concrete ideas to move forward. Come with questions and ideas as there will be a discussion afterward. He will be speaking at 7:30 p.m. today in room 180 of Science Hall at an event sponsored by the International Socialist Organization with support from the Associated Students of Madison.

Joe Evica ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in psychology and sociology.

Katie Zaman ([email protected]) is a PhD student in sociology.