I am disturbed. Trayvon Martin was murdered, and I am greatly disturbed.
I am angered. George Zimmerman, remains uncharged, and I am fiercely angered.
I do not directly identify, but I am directly affected.
Trayvon Martin was a 17-year old black boy, walking alone; he was leaving a store after purchasing a bag of skittles and a bottle of iced tea. I have been 17 years old. I often walk alone. From time to time, I enjoy skittles, and I regularly drink iced tea.
I am Black.
But I am not a man.
Just a few short months ago, Black people in the city of Savannah, GA (and much of the nation) lifted a collective voice against the execution of Troy Davis. In protest, a simple but powerful declaration was made: "I am Troy Davis." While I wholeheartedly supported this movement, I am not Troy Davis. Neither am I Trayvon Martin.
I do not directly identify, but I am directly affected.
Black men anchor my life. My father, my grandfathers, my brother, my pastor, my business partners, my mentors, my dearest friends are Black men.
If those people who are so moved by racial hatred would shoot and kill faceless innocence, then I am so moved to speak for the men in my life. If all they see is a Black man, a sight which arouses within them a fear so intense that they feel it necessary to defend themselves against the very presence of a Black man, then they see the very men that I value, cherish, and love. Who they see through the eyes of fear and hatred, I see with love, with admiration, with respect. And for them, I must speak.
No, I am not Trayvon Martin.
Trayvon Martin is my brother. He is my cousin. He is my friend.
Rodney King is my father. He is my uncle.
Emmett Till is my grandfather.
These men, and all who suffer injustice simply because they are Black men, are my past and my present. I speak now for my future. I pray now for my son. Through anger and tears, I speak against senseless violence, against hatred.
There is more that unites us than divides us. We, the people, all people, the human race must rise above this. We owe it to our future.
The future is.
Rest in Peace, Trayvon Martin.
To the family and friends of Trayvon, Live in Peace.
~ALA
