Saturday, February 14, 2015

Perhaps it's not right that certain incidents impact us more than others because we know the people involved, but they do. A good friend and co-worker from my past lost his son due to prejudice in Florida. When Trevon Martin was killed in Florida on February 26, I listened to the news accounts while they were  headlining, felt sympathy for all involved, tried not to form an opinion about the situation one way or the other (knowing that the media can warp the truth) and went about my business. But a few months later, in November, my friend's son Jordan Davis was shot down for no reason other than being a young black man enjoying his day in a way that an older white man did not approve of. I read every article, listened to every broadcast, sent my condolences to my friend, and have silently followed articles and his facebook account since 2012. The racism displayed is sickening and heartbreaking. The Stand Your Ground law in Florida seemingly allows a free for all on people of color in the name of self-defense. Even the words of the shooter's defense attorney, Delores Lemonidis, imply the shooter would obviously feel threatened by "four Black guys in a car (TheYoungTurks, 2013)".
     With 70% of Stand Your Ground cases allowing shooters to go free (Hundley, Taylor-Martin, & Humberg, 2012), racially diverse people will live with internalized oppression and microaggression in many more social situations than white people. There can be no equity, you can't go about living a comfortable day-to-day,when the way you look makes you a target.
     The Treyvon/Jordan Project-Division is a docu-drama being performed tonight at Valencia College. It covers a culmination of opinions and interviews examining the impact on society of these two cases. The play is designed to reach people and change stereotypes, not to go over the details of what happened. A quote from the play is "Even if one person listens, and you change their mind, then you change the world (http://youtu.be/_1s1XoTqVPg, 2015)".

Reference:

Hundley, K., Taylor-Martin, S., & Humburg, C. (2012). Florida 'stand your ground' law yields some shocking outcomes depending on how law is applied. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved from: http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/florida-stand-your-ground-law-yields-some-shocking-outcomes-depending-on/1233133

TheYoungTurks. (2013).YouTube Retreived from:http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=jordan%20russell%20davis&qs=n&form=QBVR&pq=jordan%20russell%20davis&sc=8-20&sp=-1&sk=#view=detail&mid=2E90BBB68CA8E2C0ED822E90BBB68CA8E2C0ED82
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1 comment:

  1. UnknownFebruary 15, 2015 at 5:54 PM

    Hi Renee,
    I appreciate you telling this personal account involving your friend. I am deeply sorry for your loss and the world's loss of potential with this young man's death. It's impactful pointing out the difference between hearing a story of racism and experiencing a story of racism. I grew up in a very racist community as a white, middle class girl. As a young child, I witnessed several heart-wrenching incidents involving violence and aggression against Afro-Americans. Your comment was right on. "There can be no equity, you can't go about living a comfortable day-to-day,when the way you look makes you a target." However, no one in my home, school or community talked about these issues. As a young child, I was confused and saddened by what I saw. As an adult, I am ashamed, confused and saddened by what I saw. Only now, through this course, am I beginning to understand how personal these issues are for me, one of the privileged ones. I can't imagine how they must have felt to those suffering and being oppressed. However, if things are going to change in America, we must learn how to start speaking out in respectful ways, standing up against perpetrators of social injustice, and engaging in open and often uncomfortable conversations with each other. The more self-reflective, mindful, and vigilent we can become as adults dealing with these issues, the more respectful and tolerant our children will be. How peaceful the world will be in future depends on how we teach our children today. I'm glad you promoted this play; it's a wonderful example of how we can all get involved in talking about and fighting against racism. Great post!

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