There Was No Justice For Trayvon But We Cannot Be Silenced
This weekend, I was at a convening with 100 young Black leaders and activists, brought together from across the country by the Black Youth Project. We were there to talk about our advocacy work as well as issues affecting the Black community. And more importantly, we were there to talk about what we can DO about it and put some of those things to action. They called us the BYP100.
Yesterday, we had just wrapped day 2 around 8:35pm CST and everyone was ready to kick it. After 10 hours of work, we deserved it. And as our facilitator, Melinda Weekes dismissed us, someone said “The jury reached a verdict.” We weren’t ready to hear it and some of us kind of freaked out. I started shaking because I WAS AFRAID.
I’ve avoided watching the trial of George Zimmerman for his murder of Trayvon Martin because I honestly could not deal. I knew it wouldn’t be good for my psyche to watch it. Because I was already so angry. What I need to cope sometimes is avoidance. And that’s real.
So to be in that room, AT THAT MOMENT with THOSE people was perfect. Because there was no place I’d rather be than with people who are so passionate about Black folks that many have devoted their lives to working against injustice.
The giant screen we had just used for presentations was switched to MSNBC as they got ready to bring in the jury. We formed a giant circle and held hands. And watched with bated breath. WHOOO!!! We were so damb NERVOUS!
And “not guilty” was read and half of us broke the circle in gasps while some of us (me, anyway) waited to see what else. Surely manslaughter was a choice, right? And they’ll say he was guilty of that. NOPE. Nothing came after that. And many people sunk into the floor in sobs. My tears fell before I could even process it. And they didn’t stop falling for an hour.
NOT. FUCKING. GUILTY.
And the fucking smirk on Zimmerman’s face made me wanna dropkick that screen and hope his teeth would connect with my foot somehow.
We got back into the circle, many of us in tears.
Photo credit: CFreedom Photography
And folks took turns sharing what they were feeling RIGHT THEN. So many damb emotions. Because what we thought America felt about Black folks was confirmed. Anger. Sadness. HATE. So much hate for the privilege that allows people to wake up and know that their sons and daughters can walk out the house without being used for target practice.
Not gonna lie. It’s hard to maintain optimism and hope when you’re told over and over again that you are unsafe to walk the streets FREELY because of your skin color. And in a world where folks call “post-racial.” GTFOH.
This was about DEFINITELY race. And we felt it intensely personally. I felt it in a way that I did NOT expect I would. The throat kick felt much worse than I anticipated, when I tried to rationalize in my own head that the verdict might go like that. I don’t think it was REAL until it became real. Like “oh shit. They REALLY don’t like Black people in America FOR REAL FOR REAL.”
Well, OUCH. ALL THE DAMB OUCHES!
I mean FOR REAL. Folks shooting dogs and themselves and they get jail time. But you shoot a Black boy and you get the gun you used to shoot him back to keep using. Oh ok.
WHAT THE FUCK, FLORIDA?!? See why people be saying that state gotta go? See why some folks wanna vote it off the non-island?
This is the same state where Marissa Alexander, a Black woman, is serving 20 years in jail for shooting a WARNING SHOT into her ceiling when she felt threatened by her abusive husband. And her defense was “stand your ground.”
So yes. This IS about race. And this shit makes me REALLY mad. And last night, I’m so thankful I was in the space I was because where would I have put my energy otherwise? Those of us in that room understood how blessed we were to be there because that shared experience was so necessary. The fact that as people who are actively working towards a better future for people who look like us, we were instantly punched in the gut.
Many in the room were teachers. Many were parents. Many were young Black men. Some in the room had dealt with police brutality first-hand. Some had lost loved ones to gun violence. Everyone had a story and all of us saw our lives reflected in that verdict because any of us could have been the subject. So how do we talk to our kids about what happened? And how do we know that the work we do matters or makes a difference?
How? Because we just have to. We have to because it keeps us from helplessness.
Even so, after the tears and the rage and the disappointment, we were left asking “now what?” Well now what needs to be some action. Demonstrations had already broken out all over the country, as expected. Thankfully, most were peaceful rallies. And many are still going on right now!
I wanted to write. Because writing it out helps me deal with all my thoughts and feelings. But words didn’t come for hours. I was wrecked. Eventually they did.
As a collective, we wanted to make sure our voice was heard. And we wanted to tell other Black people that we might be mad now, but we cannot revel in it and let it cripple us. Because our history is strong with fight and we still have more in us.
Here’s the statement from the BYP100. Please feel free to post the statement below on your own blog. We think people need to hear it.
To the Family of Brother Trayvon Martin and to the Black Community:
May this statement find us in the spirit of peace and solidarity,
We know that justice for Black life is justice for humanity.
Our hope and community was shaken through a system that is supposed to be built on freedom and justice for all. We are your sons and daughters. We are the marginalized and disenfranchised. We are one hundred next generation leaders.We are the Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100).
We see the hopelessness of a generation that has been broken trying to find its place in this world. We understand that we need to turn anger into action and pain into power.
As we waited to hear the verdict, in the spirit of unity, we formed a circle and locked hands. When we heard “not guilty,” our hearts broke collectively. In that moment, it was clear that Black life had no value. Emotions poured out – emotions that are real, natural and normal, as we grieved for Trayvon and his stolen humanity. Black people, WE LOVE AND SEE YOU. We mourn, but there’s hope as long as love endures.
Trayvon was manifested from ancestral excellence. The salt water falling from our eyes now, is not different from the salt water we were trafficked on then. If the soil of the United States could speak, before saying a word it would cough up our blood. Choking frantically, crust-curdling with the gore of a oppressed peoples it has been force-fed. White supremacy has water-boarded it with the remnants of its genocide of us.
This moment reminds us that we can’t look to others to see our value but we have to recognize our own value. In spite of what was said in court, what verdict has been reached, or how hopeless we feel, Trayvon did NOT die in vain. A mother should never have to bury her son. However, his death will serve as the catalyst of a new movement where the struggle for justice will prevail.
Instead of a moment of silence, we raise our voices together. As Audre Lorde said,“our silence will NOT PROTECT US.” We are young leaders standing on the shoulders of our ancestors, carrying the historical trauma embedded in a legal system that will NOT PROTECT US. We are the legacy of Black resilience that compels us to fight for our lives.
We continue to call out Black love, Black Power and Black is Beautiful in the face of continued devaluation of Black life. We affirm a love of ALL Black life, no matter if we are in hoodies or business suits, incarcerated or in boardrooms, on welfare or in the WNBA, on the corner or in the White House. We declare the fundamental value, beauty and power of ALL Black people. The poet Claude McKay once said, “Though far outnumbered, let us show us brave…we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack. Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!”
JUSTICE FOR TRAYVON.
Beyond November Movement
July 14, 2013
#BYP100
If you stand in solidarity with us, tweet @BlackYouthProj and use the #BYP100 hashtag.
This weekend felt like I was right where I needed to be when I needed to be there. So much love and respect to Dr. Cathy J. Cohen, Melinda Weekes, Biko Baker, Kedar Coleman, Bakari Kitwana, Lisa Fager and the entire team that made BYP100 happen. It was transformative and being amongst magical people forces you to acknowledge your own magic. Even in the midst of such disheartening news.
I’m sending everyone peace, love and light because right now, because it’s needed.
How are you dealing with this verdict?
P.S. Sorry if I’m all over the place here. I’m still tryna process it. And I’ma still have random outbursts about it here and there. This post was like random outburst in paragraph form. Thanks for dealing.
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35 Comments
I’m so over Florida at this point I don’t know what to do. So I kinda get it now when young folks think they need to carry at all times. This confirmed that it’s open season smh
I’m still not able to put together words that will properly explain how I feel. Hubby and I were coming back from a nice evening out sans kids. I pulled the phone out in time for us to hear the verdict and when we heard NOT GUILTY I seriously thought my food was going to come back up. I couldn’t speak. As I was battling my stomach to hold my food my hubby said, “man I feel like throwing up right now”. All I could do was nod. So here I am a mother with two beautiful boys. I struggled with my words today as my 12 year old asked me “How is he not guilty? They know he killed him, right?” SMH…
I am deeply saddened and angry about this verdict. I live in FL and have 2 sons, 20 and 15. I fear for them. I cannot believe that in 2013, we must have the same conversations that 1950’s & 1960’s parents did with their children. My youngest son is doing his best to understand and his father and I are trying our best to explain. I hurt for the Martin family and I have never cried this much for someone I did not know. My only solace is knowing that GZ has officially traded places with those that he has profiled. He may not be behind bars, but he is certainly not free.
Zimmerman and his apologists can have ALL THE SEATS. They’re just the worst.
I cried.
In fact every time I think about it I cry again. I think I made one post on FB and my words weren’t understood. I didn’t have the energy to argue and try to explain, so I logged off.
I was already upset that people were asking in advance for folks not to riot. It felt like that expected that as black folks the only way we would know how to deal with a verdict was to trash things. I also realized that I kinda of expected him to get off and that made me sad, because that means that it has become ingrained in me not to expect justice.
How mess up is that?
This morning I temporarily forgot and did my usual routine of turning on the news while I drank had my breakfast. Dan Abrams is speaking about the case. He’s been saying all along he expected him to get off. But what made me almost break my tv was when they discussed the lawyers post verdict statement. The prosecution said he though Mr West the defense attorney behaving poorly. Dan Abrams has the nerve to say that was unprofessional of him. WHAT!!! Mr West started the trial of a murdered child with a knock knock joke! His daughter posted jokes about the trial on instagram, but it’s the prosecution who was unprofessional?
I had to turn the tv off again.
I’m still numb, angry and worried. Worried for my teenage male cousins having to live in a world that has declared open season on them. Angry because this is a reality, but mostly just sad.
Yes! That riot talk got to me, too. Instead of fretting about how black people are going to react to injustice, how about you stop being unjust?! The jokes and disrespect from the defense made me physically ill. I realized I was shaking and had to walk away from the tv after a while.
I was out to dinner when my mom called to tell me. I lost my apetite and didn’t eat until this morning. I didn’t sleep well knowing that Zimmerman and his family were celebrating; his racism and deeds validated.
I am just so shocked and hurt. I look at Trayvon and see my brother, my cousins. The only comfort I take it that the Martins will win a civil suit and then the Feds may prosecute him for civil rights violations. Until then, I will continue to be heartbroken.
Thank you for this article. I couldn’t think of a better place for one to be is amongst our people when such a miscarriage of justice was handed down.
It’s a sad shame is what it is but what bothers me the most what really made me want reply to every tweet supporting this ridiculous verdict was the necessity to demonize Teayvon to justify his killing. He was profiled period point black he was walking while black and that trash whose name I refuse to utter ever again pursued him like a criminal and initiated the altercation. But Trayvon was the thug because he allegedly beat his ass and therefore deserved to die. What in all of the fuck why didnt he get to stand his ground when he was being pursued by some asshole with a gun. Then his idiot brother says on tv he had the right to go home. Really you dirtbag that’s what the fuck he was trying to do!!!! I notice the majority of the supporters nearly all white love to bring OJ like that has anything to do with a dead unarmed team all the while forgetting that we don’t know that OJ killed those two he never admitted it then we do know that trash killed Trayvon tho so FOH. To make matters worse all of a sudden they want to claim his Hispanic side and that he was a democrat. Because Hispanics and democrats can’t be racist oh?? Don’t try to excise him out of your race then claim its not about race in the same breath. I’m so through all I’m left with is anger and disgust not just for This verdict or for Florida but for the nation as a whole because this post racial America they love to tout doesn’t exist. Don’t ask why we are so mad when we kill one another every day(which btw needs to stop because the others are already killing our kids and don’t need our help) We have the right to be mad and I plan to be so indefinitely don’t like asks how many phucks I give. Because my phuck jar is empty.
I find myself wanting to return the favor,,, if white people can disregard us to the point of death,,, I can no longer work up any care for them. School shootings? Gun mishaps? Work-place violence? Eh, not my problem,,, who won the game. That is where I am right now and I don’t know if I can or will ever go back to caring about people and giving them the benefit of the doubt. It is a benefit me and mine do not receive. I live in fear and trepidation for the black man and boys in my life and I hate it. Hate it. I feel the joy and the faith have been crushed from me with this verdict and I cannot,,, I have lost my ability to can and I don’t think I will find it again,,,
I am a 66 year old white, mother and grandmother….and I am sick at heart with the verdict that allowed Zimmerman to walk! I did not want my children to live in a world where color mattered and I do not want my grandchildren to live in such a world either…but, here we are in 2013 and it looks like the attitudes are going to change soon. I cannot begin to fathom the astonishment, the hurt or the anger that Trayvons’ parents and extended family must feel. I know what my feelings are and I know it cannot possibly begin to measure up to what they are feeling. I am astounded beyond belief, shocked, angry and VERY disappointed in what we call justice in the United States. There is no way that George Zimmerman should have gotten off…from the very beginning of this incident turned MURDER!!! Zimmerman was TOLD that the police did not want want him to follow Trayvon. Not only did he not follow police orders, Zimmerman decided he was the law on site and he would “take care” of the matter. I can not believe a jury could overlook the FACTS of this case. Ours is supposed to be the country that shows what freedom and justice looks like, unfortunately that is not the example that was shown in the handling on the State of Florida vs. George Zimmerman. I pray for Trayvons’ family and hope they know they have MILLIONS of supporters in our country…both black and white.
People like you are why I get so mad when racism is excused by a white person based on age and where they live (like ppl saying we shouldn’t be surprised by Paula Deen bc of her age).
I was disgusted by the verdict and I’ve felt sick ever since I heard it. Then, I watched Big Brother last night and there it was again. I’m tired of feeling as if I don’t matter in this country because I have more melanin in my skin and I’m not standing for it.
Also, thanks for supporting his family.
I just have one question for the jury. What do they think GZ’s motivation for getting out of the safety of his vehicle and pursuing/engaging TM especially after being instructed not to by the authorities? What was the purpose? That’s all I want to know from the jury.
The defense CLAIMED that he got out of the car to find the name of the street he was on not to follow Trayvon. Why that’s believable? I dunno. Why you don’t know all the street names in your neighborhood when you’re the neighborhood watch caption I don’t understand either.
Le sigh, I’ve never had to leave my car to read a street sign. So he couldn’t drive up to it huh? Oh, ok. Post-racial my arse. This is so infuriating.
I’m so disgusted. The gleeful reaction by Zimmerman apologists is sickening. My heart hurts for Trayvon, his friends and family, and for the young Black men and women who keep getting dehumanized and destroyed by these white supremacist pigs–whose actions are invariably supported (if not rewarded) by a racist and rigged system.
I’ve stood by too long. I have to do something, and stop being part of the problem through my complacency.
Luvvie, being from Central Florida and most of my family there, this made me cry and hurt.
You ever wonder if there is a connection between this case and the case against Marissa Alexander? There is.
Her name is
Angela Corey
She was the prosecutor in this case, LOST the case against Zimmerman, and is smiling like she won. That doesn’t make any sense until you realize she was the prosecutor against Marissa Alexander, and actually won that case. She successfully denied “Stand Your Ground” protection to a Black woman, and successfully used “Stand Your Ground” against a Black young man. And she’s .. I’m not sure, Hispanic, Latina, something, not white. But definitely shitting on Black people to keep white people from shitting on her.
Someone (on here I think) said that Marco Rubio prays every night to white jesus to become white, and that came to mind as soon as I read the first article I read about this vile woman and looked upon her smug, smiling face – after having FAILED to do what was “allegedly” her job: to convict a f*cking murderer of murder.
Or doggone manslaughter. She should have started out charging for manslaughter. What’s with these overcharging folks round here slinging some “murder” words every which way knowing full well it’s not going to stick? Sound familiar…oh yeah. Casey I’m-pregnant-again-I’ll-show-them-all-what-a-great-mom-I-am Anthony. Lemme see who *her* prosecutor was.
I thought it was just me and the cabernet I was drinking. The prosecutors butchered this case. They didn’t seem to care and their post-verdict reactions solidified my feelings.
Its so easy to become complacent, isnt it? Spending your life assimilating into a culture that still considers you, for all intents and purposes, a second class citizen. Thanks for the above, definitely something I needed to read this morning.
Ok can we like legit herd up all the American dumbasses, ship ’em to Florida and make the Bugs Bunny .gif a reality? I am so over Florida and all their fuckery. THEY HAD A FREAKIN’ THING TO DO!!!!!!! CONVICT THAT SUMMABITCH AND MAKE SURE HE ROTS IN SOLITARY!!! YOU HAD ONE DAMB JOB!!!! But then again, what did I really expect, this is a state run by village idiots. UUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! So Over Them……..
Right on sis. We are all feeling the same sorrow. Props to you for “beating you sword into a plowshare” by taking action, and moreover being an example for the younger generation on standing up to injustice. Well done.
the justice system is set up to put black men in jail. we all know that. trying to convince ‘some’ white people and even ‘some’ black people that is a problem. back in the day, if you started the fight, it was your fault. i’m married with 4 kids. we live in a mostly white neighborhood, but it’s mixed. we are moving in the fall to probably a more upscale neighborhood, just because we wanted more land/bigger house. but part of me wants to stay where I am around ‘average’ citizens because i don’t want my boys walking home and get shot because they live in a neighborhood where they don’t belong. i cry when i think about it because my boys go to christian school and are respectable, but they are still boys and kids. so they are into hip/hop and i buy them hoodies cause they keep them warm and they like them, hey i wear them myself, who doesn’t. but the fact that because they are black and then if they put on a 10 dollar walmart hoodie, they become a suspect. my husband carries a knife. a lot of guys do. i know he wants a gun so bad, and he may even get one without me knowing. he says he needs to have ‘protection’ because he’s a contractor and never knows who he will run up against. i told him i understood (this was before the martin/zimmerman trial), but i told him if he had to use a weapon, he would be the one in jail cause he is black with a weapon and the way the system is setup. they (his family and him think i’m stupid to think he should just get beat up and not fight back) i know my husband is not violent and would only fight back if he had too, but now i have to think if he doesn’t protect himself he will die but if he does, we know he will go to jail. that’s how it is for black people, a no win situation. the other thing is, over the 7 years we have been together he has been pulled over probably a dozen times by the police. me – none. i’m not saying he don’t drive better than most men, but out of those 12 or so times, he probably got 1 or 2 legitimate tickets that he had to pay.
Luvvie, did you see that Juror B37 signed a booked deal ONE DAY after the verdict?? Trayvon’s life means nothing to these people.
Her husband is a lawyer, too, and I would like to know if she was discussing the case with him during the trial bc she wouldn’t have been allowed to.
I’m so tired of being tired! Why do African Americans have to fight so hard? My 22 year old son broke down and cried when the verdict was read. “Why am I not valued by America”? All I could do was hug him…”I love and value you. You are priceless to me”. Is it enough?
As a mother of two boys (12 and 7) this just broke my heart! PLEASE tell your son he IS valued. I don’t know him and I value him. I have so much love for our men.
I am not black, and I am not a mother but I too was outraged, saddened, disgusted and confused by the verdict. I don’t understand how 6 women, most of whom are mothers, valued the life of a killer over the life of a child.
This case sets a horrible precedence. Instead of justice, there will be more killings with the “stand your ground” defense.
Instead of stronger gun laws, legislators are passing anti-abortion bills and diminishing womens’ healthcare rights.
I don’t know…I feel like we’re just doing it all wrong in this country.
I had the same thoughts about this setting a bad precedence for future cases!
I’m miffed about our healthcare rights as well! I live in Texas…well that should say it all!
Christie – those were exactly my thoughts when I found out about the verdict. Aren’t these women mothers? I’m a mother and it’s just ripping me apart. Every time I hug my daughter or kiss her soft little cheek I feel so overwhelmed with love for her and then I think “Sybrina Fulton feels this way too about Trayvon.” And then I can’t stop crying.
I’m at work now so I’m going to stop because crying in the middle of an open-plan office just makes everyone uncomfortable.
So horrible. We love our children too – love them just as passionately, dream for them as much. For people to be gloating over this is horrific. This is someone’s CHILD. And he did nothing wrong.
Luvvie, like you I am a child of African immigrants. I was raised here and it should feel like home but it doesn’t. Situations like this and fighting for the elusive “American Dream”, do not make me feel part of this country. It is one of the many reasons why I don’t have that warm patriotic feeling. Sure we can stay and fight to make things better here but as things stand I find it to be a pointless battle that won’t be won in our lifetime. Instead I am opting to have a life of happiness with a minimal amount of racism.
I don’t think anyone other than people of color will truly understand the impact living in a racist environment does to a person, mentally, physically, and spiritually. I value my life too much to continue living under such stressful conditions. I want to be judged for my character not my skin color.
Racism has been a part of my life for so long that I can no longer pinpoint exactly when it started. But I know that I am tired of it. I don’t want to continue to live life this way. So I am trying to acquire more skills to leave America once and for all.
The oppressors in this country act as if their contributions alone are what make this nation so great. It is to the point that they are trying to do all they can to cut us off at the pass and make sure that we give up having any form of hope. They always stress that this is their country. Nevermind that their ancestors stole it from the Native Americans. They just want us all to go away and leave this country for them.
Well, I say let them have it. I definitely have plans to leave the U.S. I encourage anyone who has the will and the means to leave this country to do so while they can. I feel things here will get a whole lot worse before it gets better. Start doing your research and see what countries have better treatment of black people. I will avoid Europe altogether. Start developing your skills so that you can become entrepreneurs working for yourselves. Instead of grinding everyday for someone else like we do here. Then leave and don’t look back.
SMH, I swear it’s like a chain of emotions, that border a sense of bipolarism. One minute I’m fine, and the next I’m so angry, I could scream. I’ve never cried so hard over someone I never even knew. It’s just pains me so, that an fully armed adult, could profile, follow, shot and kill, an innocent 17 year old minor, two blocks away from his parent’s residence, and be aquitted.
Forgive me for being (gutta) but, where they do that at? Apparently, in Florida, the same state who found a woman guilty, and sentenced her to a life sentence for firing a single shot into the ceiling. The same state that cheated for Bush. I question their moral and ethics. Not to mention, the very questionable demeanor of the defense attorney, who made the statement that Trayvon Martin the sidewalks weapon was the sidewalk. Correct me if I am wrong but, I thought you had to possess a weapon, how was Trayvon ever in possession of a sidewalk. I have never seen a court of law who didn’t administer the But-For test, because Zimmermans confrontation with Trayvon was not an accident, non of this would’ve occured had he not disobeyed the commands of the Officer/dispatcher and followed Trayvon. So how was he defending himself. In a court of law, I thought they evaluated both the intent and the act, and clearly his intent, as well as his actions proved to be malicious.
thank you, Luvvie
http://rolandmartinreports.com/blog/2014/02/dear-white-christians-of-florida-an-open-letter/