What Do We Do? A call for reflection and action

What Do We Do? A call for reflection and action. In the wake of the George Zimmerman trial verdict, people are upset. The not guilty verdict has sparked protests and has charged the nation emotionally. While I share my people’s pain and disgust with the verdict, I am torn as well. How much responsibility do we as a people have in the face of injustice? How much personal responsibility must be laid at our feet? I read online a comment from a pastor who said that Trayvon Martin was a sacrifice. I found the comment a bit disturbing. If Trayvon was a sacrifice, who benefits and should we thank George Zimmerman for getting out of his car? Poppycock. Here is the deal. Black America can be mad, irritated, frustrated, or sad. We can go through a plethora of emotions but at some point, we must look in the mirror. While it’s popular to say things like “I am Trayvon Martin”, the questions begin to form; “Who is Trayvon Martin and do I really want to be him?” Let me be clear. I cannot excuse what George Zimmerman did. I will not excuse what George Zimmerman did. However, we have to ask ourselves what could have Trayvon did to save his own life? People on the radio this past week humorously spoke about Trayvon getting the best of Zimmerman. Yet, no matter how he fared in the fight, he still wound up dead with a gunshot wound in the heart. How wonderful it was to see the Miami Heat basketball team to be photographed in hoodies? Then I saw something online that bother me. Somebody photo shopped a picture of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in a hoodie. I found the gesture about as noble as a ring in a pig’s snout. I ask myself what bothered me about it. I realized that a work of art is subject to interpretation. The meanings I will find will not be the same as another. The only thing the two men have in common, Dr. King and Trayvon Martin aside the fact they were both Black and are dead is the fact that their lives were taken from them. It is hard to bridge their lives in my mind. President Barrack Obama apparently has no problem making that bridge. He reflected on his own life and wonders to himself he too could be Trayvon Martin. All of us Black males, boys and men, could be a Trayvon Martin. However, our decision making could be the difference. At this point, I want to hold the mirror up to us. Trayvon was a teenager who happened to talk recklessly and smoke pot. Even though George Zimmerman was on trial, Trayvon Martin’s character was put on blast. If I had a dollar for every time that fact was swept under the proverbial rug by many Black folks, I might be able to pay off my student loans. It is the questionable character of our dear brother that suffered the most. Good credibility in court is like having A-1 credit to a bank. You are perceived to be trustworthy. If you have questionable credibility, well you might have to go a rent to own store because you shown yourself to not be so trusting. Can we really blame the jury that found George Zimmerman not guilty? Sure we can. However, let us be honest. George Zimmerman fit the profile of a neighborhood watch man; somebody who cared about the community and somebody who was trying to protect it. Trayvon’s facebook page and his past were outlined as troublesome. Like so many misguided youth, he portrayed himself as perhaps a “thug”. While his character and issues should not matter. Trust me. It does matter. A good name is more precious than rubies. Ok. I have a question. Why was Trayvon walking to the store in the middle of the night? It was late and why is a 17 year old child walking to the store alone at that time of the night? Where was his dad? Call me old fashioned but if any child of mine asks me can they walk to the store at midnight will get nothing less than a no from me. We do not know what happened that night. The horrible truth is only Trayvon knows and he cannot tell us. It is time for our community to begin to have the conversation. How do we protect ourselves? In the face of this trial, the extreme among us may begin to justify arming our children. Honestly, the questions beckon a resounding “why not?” If Joe Citizen can kill our children in the face of “feeling threatened”. Well, all bets are off. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of having this conversation. We have talk to our teens and young men. Town hall meetings with our youth are in order. Black leadership needs to listen and Black leadership needs to undergo reform. If the scholars and philosophers among us can question President Obama, then those who claim “Black” leadership can have their feet put to the fire. While folks complain about the clock being rolled back, some of us are snoozing at the wheel. Let us be honest. Power backs up only to power. Marching has its merits but at some point we are going to have build a war chest of resources and stay out of the mall. You fight this war with your choices. You vote, you keep your representatives and senators accountable. You keep your community activists honest. Most of all, you affect the bottom line economically by saving, investing and spending with your people. All of the money we spend in this country should have us at the top of the food chain instead pleading with Massa for justice. We must think globally as well. Years ago Randall Robinson wrote a book called “Quitting America”. At some point, we too must entertain that option. That is the wonderful thing. WE HAVE OPTIONS! WE DO NOT HAVE TAKE ANY OF THIS. In closing, we need to address the violence of our children. We cannot expect people to take us seriously, if we are not outraged by the senseless murders that take place in the country every single day. Every day, Black males are going to prison or the cemetery. We need to deal with this. Our community needs to heal. That can only happen if we repent. As mad as we are at those who make policies and laws we hate. We need to sweep around our own stoop. In my opinion, nothing can happen until we show God we are serious about healing. Our children need resources, faith, purpose and a plan. If protest is all we tend to do, then we need to protest that!