In support of ALL young black men

I have been thinking a lot about Trayvon Martin. Well, that's not entirely true, I've been thinking a lot about the mothers of black sons. I'm seeing some of their posts on facebook that say, "It could have been my child."

My heart sinks, because I know they're right.

Michael Skolnik wrote recently for the Global Grind, saying "White people, you will never look suspicious" in the same way that Trayvon Martin did... and every other black youth does... because they are seen through a lens that has existed since "we" decided they were "others." And the sad thing is that whether the man who shot Trayvon is Hispanic or White (is the debate necessary?) he shot this boy because he believed he was some worthless hood rat that didn't belong in his neighborhood.

That's racism.

It doesn't matter if you're Asian, Hispanic, Latino, Chinese, White, Native American, Middle Eastern or any combination... if you fear, hate, or judge someone on the color of their skin or who you perceive them to be because of the color of their skin... that's racism.

There is so much involved in this collective image of "black people." Society can't tell if they are inner city, small town, African American, Caribbean American,  a combination heritage, or actual Africans and I'm pretty sure most don't care. There's a difference in experience, culture, and belief there; but I'm seeing more and more these days that all black people really get the short end of the stick (to be terribly understated). The are isolated by policy, access to education, and access to employment. Those who claim they are only out to "work the system" don't understand that you can be a regular teenager in any neighborhood,  and get shot for it... just because... the way you look... makes you a criminal.

I can't stop thinking about the young smiling faces that I've seen at my childrens' school, or at the non-profit organizations I've worked with in my community, or at church. These kids don't know yet, how they will appear to the world when they are 14, 15, 16 and older. They're still full of life, and smiles. Please don't forget these black men that you fear, are sons. They were once innocent children that grew up to suffer from suspicious eyes and accusing glares. They are who we believe them to be and made them to be.

Young men "stereotyped" in support of Trayvon

I want to be supportive, and I'm trying to speak up so that I can be so. If you judge these young men by the color of the skin - YOU will kill them... quickly (at the hand of violence) or slowly (by taking away every chance they have).

There is no easy resolution to the tension between races, the tension that kills and prevents us from being able to communicate with each other openly. I don't have "THE" answer. Those of white heritage need forgiveness for the pain that we have caused (and we need to stop denying we never did wrong - because we never made it right). Those of African heritage need, and deserve, respect for their culture and their perseverance in the face of prejudice, so they can move on from the pain. They deserve justice, even if justice means we stop accusing them first. But ultimately, we need to talk to move forward. We need to talk... and all agree that it doesn't matter who killed Trayvon Martin... he died because he was black, and that makes us all culpable to some degree.

We need to accept our responsibility for our roles in this, whether we accuse black men as soon as we see them, or let too many young men grow up without guidance and support (so many that we see all young black men in the same negative way).

I understand some people will be angry because of what I say, or they will be angry because I'm white and think I have no right to speak about these things. Maybe you have a right to be angry with me... I'm certainly not well versed on this subject...but I can tell you that I am a mother first - above all other things-  and when I imagine myself in Trayvon's mother's shoes, I cannot keep the tears from my eyes. She didn't deserve to lose her son.

Imagine your child clutching a drink and a bag of candy and and ask yourself if: just because your child were out at night, that might have been enough to say they up to no good. More than that your child was so suspicious that pulling a weapon became "necessary." And because it was necessary to draw your weapon, it became necessary to pull the trigger.

None of this was necessary and because of that, I beg you, any of you that read this, to change the way you look at others, especially young, black men.

I'd like to end this all by saying, I don't think we're going to get any peace out of this whole situation; we're in too deep. I want so much for America to wake up and say "Hey, this kid died, and that's not okay." But it's going to take more than that. We need compassion for each other because we're all HUMAN first, before we receive any other identifying marks. But to be human, we all need to be open to seeing race in a new light. A way in which we can acknowledge we are different, without fear and without stereotypes. Then we need to fight every stupid idea we've ever had about what we think white and black "means" and decide we will judge on compassion alone.

Be open. Be kind. Be human.

Because no young man deserves to die this way.