Truth and Justice

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr once said; "Difficult and painful as it is, we must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious faith in the future. When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe, working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." 

What is justice? According to the dictionary it is defined as the following;(1)the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause. (2)rightfulness or lawfulness, as of a claim or title; justness of ground or reason: to complain with justice. (3) the moral principle determining just conduct. (4) conformity to this principle, as manifested in conduct; just conduct, dealing, or treatment. (5) the administering of deserved punishment or reward.

I thought that we should start with understanding what it is we are seeking, for Trayvon Martin and his family.. I have heard television pundits and experts go on analyzing this tragedy since the news broke. I have also heard many people turn the tables on the victim, accusing him of being one who sought out trouble. Some painted him out to be a drug user, and headed on the wrong path. Recently D.L. Hughley addressed those accusations with a heartfelt letter to Trayvon Martin.

When we seek justice we are also seeking truth. Although it seems to have been elusive, truth is there, beneath the layers. Earlier this afternoon we heard the Special Prosecutor Angela Corey from Florida announced that charges had been filed. So here are a few truths for you to ponder while George Zimmerman sits in protective custody. George Zimmerman was charged forty-five days after Trayvon Martin was killed. Forty-five days after his parents were given devastating news, news that no parent should ever hear. 

Another truth is that this is not the first time the town of Sanford Florida has faced controversy regarding race. In 1946 this small town created a stir with a Black athlete by the name of Jackie Robinson. I am sure you are familiar with the name, he was the first African American baseball player to play in the Majors. When he came into town for Spring training with the Brooklyn Dodgers the restrictions of segregation were placed on him. Jackie Robinson was not permitted to eat with his team mates, nor was he allowed to share the same locker room. He was advised to stay in another town, rather then stay with the team. When the "good" citizens of Sanford became aware of Mr. Robinson's presence they confronted the mayor of this small town. They made it impossible for the Royals to participate in a pre-season game and forced Jackie Robinson and his wife to flee to neighboring Daytona. The result was that the Dodgers pulled up stakes and moved their spring training facility out of Sanford to Daytona.

So here we are again, sixty-six years after the Dodgers pull stakes. Forty-five days after Trayvon Martin was killed. With the passage of time, they say all wounds are healed, but I propose something else. With the passage of time, we look at where we were and if we see we haven't moved forward, we break out into a mad dash to get ahead. This way someone isn't looking back some sixty-six years later and realize we have been stagnant for too long.

Tonight no quote, just lyrics from a song. "Imagine there's no countries, it isn't hard to do, No need to kill or die for and no religions too, Imagine all the people, Living life in peace"~John Lennon, Imagine

Racism: America's Dirty Secret

I am certain there are many of you who will say, that this is no secret, but I beg to differ. As Americans we lie to ourselves, and say we are enlightened. Racism exists in the backwoods somewhere, not here with civilized people such as ourselves. How I wish this were true, reality is that like any disease, racism is insidious. Like cancer it finds a healthy area, latches on and begins to mutate and alter it. Eventually it corrupts and creates illness which can lead to death. This is what ignorance and distorted views bring upon our society. Like cancer, if you ignore it, it doesn't heal, you only give it a chance to grow and permeate other healthy areas until there is no healthy tissue left.

The topic of race has become a source of conversation, jump started by the killing of Trayvon Martin. For a moment there was a flurry of tweets, blogs and newscasts dedicated to examining the why and how, this young man was profiled and ultimately killed.  Profiled not by police, but, by a man with a gun, who took the definition of NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH to include shooting a kid, armed with a bag of Skittles, Arizona Ice Tea and a cell phone. 

It had been my hope, that this tragic event would finally have been the call for us to get our act together and address a long ignored diseased issue of our society. To my utter lack of surprise, many of us are already moved onto the next issue. Although I do not have the solution, I did make a decision, this blog will consistently discuss the case of George Zimmerman and the death of Trayvon Martin until I can say I have done my part in keeping the conversation going. 

Fortunately, I am not alone. This week on CNN, Anderson Cooper is also making this the subject of his show AC360. Other news outlets are still talking about it, although maybe not to the degree that it had been discussed when this story first broke. If more of us keep making this an issue of importance, others too will hear the cry to end racism in America and openly discuss in order to find a way to heal the deep wounds that still exists in our country. After all, how enlightened can we be if we never come to grasps with correcting this situation?

Here we are, almost a month and a half later, still no arrest and still many unanswered questions. The only person who honestly knows what occurred on that rainy night in a town-home community, in Sanford Florida is George Zimmerman. As the saying goes in finding answers there are three versions, his, the other involved and in between lies the truth. Many experts are re-examining 9-1-1 calls, alleged witness statements and police reports, while we, the public do a lot of supposition. 

The question rests in the why's. Why did this young unarmed man die? Why did George Zimmerman exit his vehicle after being told not to follow? Why did he assume Trayvon was "on drugs" and "looked as though he was up to no good"? And the biggest, why did he shoot him? I do not believe we will ever know the truth to these questions, but I am holding out faith that we will take the time to re-examine not just George Zimmerman, but ourselves and the way we approach and judge other races.

Coincidentally this week marks the fiftieth anniversary of one of my favorite movies, To Kill A Mockingbird. This movie from 1962, examined race and how prejudices can interfere with justice. This movie displayed the ills of 1930's race relations in the 1960's. Today, fifty years later we still deal with the same issues and ignorance. Perhaps in fifty years we can finally be on another chapter and verse regarding this subject. 

In honor of Harper Lee's incredible work I leave you with two quotes from the novel to think on.

"Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don't pretend to understand." - Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

and

"Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird 

for Trayvon Martin