Since Sunday night I have been trying to put into words my feelings on the trial of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin. The disturbing interview from Juror B37 further added to my want to comment but I found myself without a strong voice. Our system spoke, the prosecution made mistakes, George Zimmerman is a free man. The problem is that many people in my world think that this is where the conversation ends and I would submit that this is where it has to begin, especially as Christ followers. I ran across an article from Trip Lee that does a great job helping explain my heart without jumping on the guilty/ not guilty bandwagon. Please set aside your bias and just read this mans word, he has much more wisdom than most of the commenters on social media and the media and I really think it will be worth your time.
I’ve kept up with the Trayvon Martin saga from the beginning. Like many of you I watched the news coverage, read the articles, and talked about it with friends. It dominated public conversation and provoked a much needed discussion about race in America. The ugly reality of racism was pushed in front of our faces, and even those who like to pretend it doesn’t exist were forced to talk about it.
Over a year later, Trayvon’s killer has been tried and found not guilty. Does that mean we should move on from the issues? They found him innocent, so these “race issues” must not be as real as we thought they were, right? That couldn’t be further from the truth. I have no intention of arguing about the facts, Trayvon’s character, or the verdict in this tragic situation, but I do think some discussion should continue. The trial is over, but the conversation shouldn’t be.
Why the Interest?
I know there are many who wonder why this particular trial has captured the attention of so many. Others wonder why some black folks are so quick to sympathize with Trayvon Martin, despite the fact that he had issues of his own. After all, none of us were there and we don’t know exactly what happened. While that’s true, I did find myself emotionally invested in the whole ordeal. I can’t speak for everybody, but I can tell you why I found myself sympathizing with Trayvon and the Martin family…. for the rest of the article please click here.
Very good essay from Mr. Lee. I also read another article today by William Saletan that takes a somewhat opposing view, although they are somehow complementary of each other. I think Lee is correct that this case resonates with those that have personally experienced racism. However, I think their experiences can sometimes lead them to see racism where it doesn’t exist. This case is hard for me personally. I don’t experience racism and I rarely, if ever, see it. I would have liked to think that we have moved past that as a society. Did Zimmerman profile Martin because of his race? Probably, but one can only speculate. Whether or not there was racism in this case, the reaction to it proves that a lot of racial tension still exists in this country. It also proves that there are those that will use incidents like this to stir up these tensions for their own gain. That, alone, proves we have a ways to go.
I forgot to post a link to the Saletan article. It can be found here: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/frame_game/2013/07/trayvon_martin_verdict_racism_hate_crimes_prosecution_and_other_overreactions.html?utm_source=tw&utm_medium=sm&utm_campaign=button_toolbar