I won’t lie to you, I am angry. I am that type of angry that makes you want
to cry, the type of angry that, if goes uncontrolled, can cause you to make bad
decisions. When I found out on Saturday
night that a jury of six women in Seminole County, Florida had found George
Zimmerman “not guilty” of murdering Trayvon Martin, my heart sank. The pain hurt in a way that is indescribable,
and it is a pain that will not go away anytime soon, and I don’t want it
to. I want to remember this feeling for
the rest of my life because it will cause me to not be complacent, to not
settle for the status quo, and to always speak up against injustice when I see
it. It’s the least I can do to honor the
memory of Trayvon. And while I didn’t
know him personally, I have family members and men in my life, who could have
been him. What this verdict symbolizes
to me is that the life of a person of color, especially African-American males,
is not valued. That somehow we don’t
matter, and that is not okay. While this
verdict was shocking, sadly, it wasn’t unexpected, and for those people who
were wondering whether or not we live in a post-racial society since we now
have an African-American President, that verdict was a stark reminder that we
aren’t even close. So, where do we go
from here? How do we move on? How do we heal? I wish I knew. What I’m standing on right now, as Trayvon’s
parents seem to be doing as well, is my faith.
It’s my belief in knowing that God “knows the end from the beginning,”
and I have to trust His plan in all of this, even though I don’t understand
it. I’m not supposed to. In the meantime, I will keep my brothers of
color covered in prayer. I will love and
support them, and remind them that regardless to what society may say, you are
of excellent worth if for no other reason than that you are children of the
most High God! Keep your head up!
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