I teach at Baltimore City Community College (BCCC). BCCC has a population that is predominantly African-American. As a Professor of Sociology, I hear about all of the issues, concerns, and feelings that my students bring to class with them each day, stuff that they cannot leave at home or even in the school parking lot. These past few weeks have been difficult for my students, to say the least.
In the wake of the news coming out of Sanford, Florida, many of my students feel helpless and vulnerable. Many of them feel that the Trayvon Martin tragedy is nothing new, nor is it limited to Sanford, Florida or any other locale in the U.S. Rather, they see it as endemic, as societal, as institutional. One of my students said, “You could go around the room and ask my classmates; each one has a Trayvon Martin story to share.” Another commented, “We are all Trayvon Martin.”
If I was teaching elsewhere, would I encounter the same deep sense of loss, the same raw feelings exhibited by my students? We see the world through different lenses, through different hearts shaped by different life experiences. We process different things when we hear about injustice, whether it is Trayvon Martin, Rodney King, Emmett Till, or one of the innumerable invisible victims who does not make the news each day.
Many people of all races are calling for truth and justice. Many are calling for cultural sensitivity and respect, by law enforcement and the entire society. That is a good thing. Many people are using the Trayvon Martin tragedy as a teachable moment. For BCCC students who are parents, they continue to visit and revisit lessons with their children, lessons that revolve around sociology, and more specifically, profiling, prejudgments, and other forms of intolerance based on the color of one’s skin or perhaps what someone is wearing. Why? Because these are real to them, and their children’s welfare could depend on knowing this information and how to react.
We all have a stake in pursuing the truth as far as Trayvon Martin is concerned. And we can all relate to this incident. We all know what it is like to feel vulnerable, to feel the sting of injustice, and to feel the loss of a loved one. The focus and extent of our empathy in this tragedy should not be limited by our race, our ethnicity, or some other dimension of diversity. We are all Trayvon, and we are all in this together. As Martin Luther King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
people are scare. for what they made a judgment about them. if fear let them get to them, they make a quick dumb dession. Which is not that smart. Peopl need to think about the other. They have dreams just like any humans. They walk and talk like no other human. Human are able to understand if they knew what is to think about other. Sometimes I ask myself, Are we trying to win a poll which color is the best. Once our body is dead we are left with a soul. For which our true soul color will be, or we all could be the small color. killing somebody thinking he was a thread is the most dumb thing. Now people are asking them self if they can go to school, or work or play outside. we might as well wear unfourm to everthing we do. nothing but a grey shirt and pants so we all look alike. i still look at people and ask my self why o why. im open about people about color and gay. they are just normal people.
I am also a teacher at Baltimore City Community Collage and I have the same feelings that you have. I work in East Baltimore and most of my students are like Trayvon. His death has really affected many young and old all over the country who have a special fire in their heart when an injustice has occurred. The Sanford Police Department has no excuse for not contacting Trayvon’s parents for 3 whole days. This is what I call is complete disregard for life. The conservatives or Tea Party radicals have been mum on this outrage. Where is their outcry for prolife or they have different standards for different kinds of people. This is the height of hipocricy.
I am a student in Orlando, Fl. and a mother of five children and this injustice has upset me and angered me to the fullest. What makes me more angry is the recent news I have learned about the case in which Zimmerman’s father is a Judge and that thus far has protected this murderer. Now it’s all making even more sense to me of the obvious injustice and cover-up of his guilty actions! I think about my son’s who are of African American descent and I worry about their future and their lives that are in jeapordy for just being who they are and who will be profiled for their color of their skin, their style or their features and I see grimm and sad outcome for my Trayvon and everybodies Treyvon. This needs to stop in it’s tracks before it hurts and destroys more innocent lives. We need to have more community outreach programms and come together to discuss these issues in every community! It’s imperitive that we all join forces as one. We have all become Treyvon and I’m extremely proud to say that Treyvon is my son too. My heart weeps to see him gone but he will always remain in my mind and in my heart. Above all I just want to see justice done for Treyvon and I want his killer George Zimmerman charged with murder and do the time he deserves.
I have been reading some of your postings to help complete assignments in a course I am taking on Multicultural Education. I found your posting about Trayvon Martin to be very interesting. Until taking my course in Multicultural Education, I never realized how such events can really effect certain races because as you mentioned, everyone has different life experiences. I agree with you, though, that many people are calling for cultural sensitivity and respect. This is definitely a good thing. I hope that everyone, no matter what race, can come together and have emphathy and fight for justice for Trayvon. Reading your postings have helped me learn a lot on cultural awareness. Thank you for sharing.
When I first heard the news about Trayvon Martin, I suddenly became very infuriated. I was so upset and had so many emotions that I didn’t know what to do. I immediately spoke to my sister because I needed to get this off my chest. I knew I wanted to help in some way possible. So I spread the word any way I could. Through facebook, by phone, the clothes I wore, signed petitions and even went to rallies to show my support that justice needed to be served. I think one reason this case has made a huge impact on me was because I heard Trayvon’s last cries and plead for help on the recordings. For it to be 2012 and things like this are still happening, is what scares me the most. I believe that not only should African Americans be concerned about this case but all races should be concerned because it could have been any one of us but a different situation. And like Trayvon, we would want someone fighting for our justice because at the end of the day human beings want to know that they matter. Although justice won’t bring Trayvon back, it would give his family and the people some closure to know that Zimmerman is one less dangerous person roaming the streets.
The Travon Martin story shook my home because, I have a teenager and he is a black male. when I heard about the killing of this young man, all I could do is cry. I feel that the law in Florida is not fair ( STAND YOUR OWN GROUND LAW) what is the meaning of that. Do this mean you can kill anyone you want, at anytime just by saying,” it was self defense”. George Zimmerman was WRONG face it, I can not believe people are supporting this man. If a child is raped or molested that person gets time, looked at differently, and charged but, if you kill a child in Florida you get bail, God help that system.
When I first heard about the Travon Martin Case it brought tears to my eyes and I immediately began to pray because that was a baby. I have a nephew that is 5 years old and I started thinking in about 12yrs my newphew will be racially profiled or sterotyping. The whole issue of it all is that he was advised to stand down and it ignored the 911 agent and he continued to follow. This was just awful situation and I pray that Zimmerman can deal with himself in future because I know this has to bother him unrestless nights deression. The Stand your Ground law really needs to be revised and make sure that its clear what is covers. Another thing that bothers me is that there are all of a sudden these photos, witness on behalf of Zimmerman but where was the support from the Law Enforcement to notify the parents immeditely that thier son has been murder. There was so much time that elasped before the father knew and when he did the story was clearly not all being shared with the parents. I feel something needs to change our children should be able to walk around and dress however they like its a free country.