Race in the USA: Trayvon Martin vs. George Zimmerman

Today, Charles Blow, New York Times, wrote a clear article regarding the injustice of the verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman, that declared him not innocent, but not guilty.

Eugene Robinson in the Washington Post wrote a similar article, both men speaking of the travesty of the verdict's injustice and how "the system failed Trayvon Martin."

Both men are black.

I am neither male nor black, brown or a person of colour.  I am female, a senior citizen, well educated, both urban and rural.   In America, I have lived in New England, the sage strewn roads of New Mexico, the Greenwich Village streets of New York City, the dairy farmland of Pennsylvania, the countryside of Charlotte, North Carolina and presently live in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains.

I too believe that the system failed Mr. Martin, a 17 year old black boy walking, or perhaps even sauntering home to his Dad's house after making a run to a neighbourhood convenience store.

I rarely watch the kind of news that runs full cycle on some issue of the day, but I was riveted to the MSNBC coverage until the verdict came in Saturday night.

I was exhausted from the emotion that came up for me whilst hearing the testimony, watching the trial, listening to the analysis, and finally hearing the verdict.   I promised Color of Change I would be alert to any anti-bias against Mr. Martin.  I heard none on MSNBC.

But the case of George Zimmerman's innocence, and the death of Tryvan Martin brings up for me my entire growing up in New York City, the short time I lived in Charlotte, and the period I worked in New England.

Race, racial profiling, discrimination of all kinds was in the air, stronger, if not bolder than jasmine, more poignant than honey suckle, or worse than the stench that only the recycle center gets after days of massive rain.

I could, but have decided against, enumerating the countless times I've encounters racial profiling. If you believe that justice has not been served for the dead young man, sign a petition with Color of Change, or the NAACP.