According to information found at the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society, consistent findings show African American and Latino youth are over-represented in middle school suspensions and that the increased use of suspension has been largest for poor and minority children. Also striking has been the media portrayal of Trayvon Martin as a marijuana-addicted delinquent, while George Zimmerman has been depicted wearing a suit and effusing an image as an upstanding citizen.
Zimmerman’s decisive action in ending Martin’s life begs various questions about what constitutes prejudice and racism. Prejudice can be defined self-evidently as prejudgements. Racism constitutes acting upon prejudices while also incorporating discrimination. It is important to note that prejudice is not necessarily about race, but that racism is always a form of prejudice. Finally, it is essential to point out that any perceived “reverse racism” stems directly from the initial racism that occurs.
But the questions should not stop at a conceptual level. Did ageism also occur? Why did Zimmerman follow Trayvon? What if Trayvon were a black girl?
We must be transparent in pointing out that this crossing of paths between Martin and Zimmerman was the product of a culture of fear in which all we live. Indeed, society has been programmed to pump out fear, and we citizens act upon that fear. This has manifested itself in various forms of victim blaming, as well as the aforementioned perception of Martin as a pot-rattled delinquent, a severe example of a micro-aggression against the slain teenager. We have excluded, negated and nullified his psychological thoughts, feelings and experiential realities.
Martin’s background should not influence what happened to him. Instead, we seem to feel comfortable justifying lives. We perpetuate this culture anytime we root for Dexter Morgan to kill a perceived villain, simply because they had it coming to them. The perception of hero vs. villain and who ought to be left standing among the two varies tremendously across cultures, and this stratification has persisted in the case of Zimmerman and Martin. But just because Martin might not have been the perfect model citizen, that does not mean he ought to have been murdered. Yet, many seem to feel compelled to quantify his life that was taken.
Phone transcriptions have demonstrated that derogatory terms were spoken on record by Zimmerman. “They always get away,” Zimmerman explained. But who is the “they” he refers to? We must all understand that we subconsciously and/or consciously place people in figurative boxes and compartmentalize the various aspects of people’s identities. This results in a lack of fully understanding a person as an individual and can lead instead to discrimination.
Another grim lesson is the dependency on interpretation of the law. “Stand Your Ground” has some serious gaps within it that should be fixed. Perhaps most importantly, this law needs to be more explicitly explained. Had the “Stand Your Ground” law been more specific on what a person is able to do in such situations, the death of Martin and many other victims could have been – and could be in the future – avoided.
The media and the outcry of so many people across the country seems to have played a large part in the arrest of Zimmerman and pursuit of an investigation into the matter. However, this is one case of many in this nation. Situations like this do happen daily in communities across the nation, and media coverage should not have been needed to urge all the legal parties involved to do their jobs in the correct fashion. The reason it is difficult for many to work within the legal system is because the law is dense and at times complicated. A deep understanding and integrity of upholding the law is needed for it to be carried out faithfully. A surface level look at the facts of a case neglects the responsibility the legal personnel have to the victim.
The big picture is that as a nation we need to work toward being more preventative and proactive rather than constantly creating resolutions after a situation has occurred. The story of Trayvon Martin’s tragic death should be example to all that, as a whole, society needs to work harder to think about the consequences laws like “Stand Your Ground” have on its citizens.
It should be noted: It is greatly appreciated that Zimmerman was arrested and an investigation into Martin’s death has begun. Although it took some time, the proper procedures are being taken. This should be a lesson to all that fighting for justice can yield good results.
Associated Students of Madison Diversity Committee
