Tag Archives: Trayvon Martin

4 Ways I Stay Sane as the State Executes My People in the Street

My job, at this point, is to maintain my sanity in a country that I pay my taxes to, and pledge allegiance to, even though it still does not see me as human. Somehow, I have remained eternally optimistic about my life, my future, and the future of our children in this country, despite seeing it snuffed out on video at the whim of an emotionally unstable employee of the state. How have I done this? Is it naiveté? Is it faith? Is it insanity? Maybe it is a combination of the three. I’ve only recently tried to figure out what it is that keeps me going mentally and emotionally. Here is a short list of the few things I know comforts me in this situation.

Agent Zimmerman and the American Matrix

I’ve spent my adult life working with young black men, from all economic and social backgrounds, arming them with the rules I have learned to navigate the bi-polar United States that we live in.  This world is a complicated matrix of social constructs and unjust laws, a matrix my peers and our elders thought weContinue reading “Agent Zimmerman and the American Matrix”

Trayvon Martin Rallies are NOT Selective Outrage.

I’m tired of this popular stream of argument spreading amongst detractors of the Trayvon Martin rallies.  “…Why is there so much selective outrage on the part of so many?” asked William Bennet in his latest CNN coverage.  He’s part of a growing group of people who have the reasons for our outrage confused.  The protestsContinue reading “Trayvon Martin Rallies are NOT Selective Outrage.”

Teachable Moment: What to tell my kids about Trayvon Martin

“Mommy, I’m not black. I’m white like Maya”, is what my  5 year old son said standing at the base of the Martin Luther King Jr. monument.  His mother had just given him the cliff notes explanation of the civil rights movement.  “Why is that?” his mom asked.  “Because if they are going to beatContinue reading “Teachable Moment: What to tell my kids about Trayvon Martin”