Comments on: Trayvon Martin https://contemporaryracism.org/935/trayvon-martin/ An academic blog about whiteness, implicit bias, and systemic racism Sun, 12 Aug 2012 01:10:50 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Simonep42 https://contemporaryracism.org/935/trayvon-martin/comment-page-1/#comment-258 Fri, 04 May 2012 03:25:27 +0000 http://www.professorwolfe.com/blog/?p=935#comment-258 Dan,
I think in some ways we are making progress, however, I read this article and was acutley aware of just how little:
I can recommend a completely wonderful article in Time.com by Touré– How to Talk to Young Black Boys About Trayvon Martin. His suggestions are wise, specific, and quite frankly, break my heart.

1. It’s unlikely but possible that you could get killed today. Or any day. I’m sorry, but that’s the truth. Black maleness is a potentially fatal condition. I tell you that not to scare you but because knowing that could save your life. There are people who will look at you and see a villain or a criminal or something fearsome.

2. If you encounter such a situation, you need to play it cool. Keep your wits about you. Don’t worry about winning the situation. Your mission is to survive….

3. There is nothing wrong with you. You’re amazing. I love you. When I look at you, I see a complex human being with awesome potential, but some others will look at you and see a thug — even if their only evidence is your skin. Their racism relates to larger anxieties and problems in America that you didn’t create. …

4. You will have to make allowances for other people’s racism. That’s part of the burden of being black. We can be defiant and dead or smart and alive. I’m not saying you can’t wear what you want, but your clothes are a red herring. They’ll blame it on your hoodie or your jeans when the real reason they decided you were a criminal is that you’re black….

5. Be aware of your surroundings. Especially when it’s dark. Or bright. Some people are on the lookout for muggers or rapists. You need to be on the lookout for profilers who are judging you. Don’t give them an opportunity to make a mistake.

6. If you feel you are being profiled and followed or, worse, chased by someone with a vigilante streak — if you are hunted in the way it seems Trayvon was, by someone bigger than you who may be armed and hopped up on stereotypes about you — then you need to act. By calling the police….

7. What if it’s the cops who are making you feel threatened? Well, then you need to retreat. I don’t mean run away. I mean don’t resist. Now is not the time to fight the power. Make sure they can see your hands, follow all instructions, don’t say anything, keep your cool. …

8. Never forget: As far as we can tell, Trayvon did nothing wrong and still lost his life. You could be a Trayvon.

]]> By: Daniel.Greenfield90 https://contemporaryracism.org/935/trayvon-martin/comment-page-1/#comment-224 Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:30:56 +0000 http://www.professorwolfe.com/blog/?p=935#comment-224 What’s really interesting about this is that a lot of the press this crime is receiving seems to be because the crime happened to be a white on black crime. Although the fact that Zimmerman is still free seems to be a product of his whiteness, the widespread hatred of Zimmerman’s acts seems to also be a product of his whiteness.

The Travyon Martin case is a tragedy of overt racism, but could it not be argued that the popular reaction (at least in this area) to the tragedy may be a positive representation of the non-acceptance of overt racism? Maybe I’m way off, but it seems that at least some people are moving in the right direction?

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