Trayvon Martin Case Reveals True Extent of Racism

Trayvon Martin Case Reveals True Extent of American Racism...

Cold-Blooded Killings of Young Black Males...

Just last week, Police shot and killed young black males in Pasadena, Philadelphia,  Miami, Chicago... in Major-City, USA.  All... with one prevailing theme:  The killers are not being charged.

When this very same thing happened to a 19-year-old black man in Morrilton, Arkansas  several years ago, I recall being a part of the local black community that was mercilessly shaken and left with feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and a sense of total futility.  Afterwards, the police officer who shot this young man went right back to business as unusual.

Trayvon Martin...

Now, a few years later; the entire world is outraged  and disgusted about the Trayvon Martin murder at the hands of an illegally armed security guard.  This case contains overwhelming evidence of a hate crime and stalking, instigated by racial profiling.  It is unbelievable that with tons of evidence that this was unmistakably a case of murder, the local police still refuses to arrest the killer--even after over a month of speculation and analysis of the clearly visible verifiable evidence. 

Trayvon Martin's family and supporters, now find themselves on the front lines of this war of blatant, raw, cold-blooded American racism. .  This situation becomes even more terrifying when one considers that it is being perpetrated under the auspices of the justice system.  This is a struggle for the very-soul of America.

 American Racism Continues...

As the Trayvon Martin supporters--both blacks and whites--rally their troops and stragegize for the redemption of America's soul;  American conservatives and their sympathizers,  cover their unethical deeds, stick their arrogant, mean-spirited (proverbial) heads in the sand, and proceed as if nothing has happened.  After all, in the opinion of conservative America, this case (and other similar cases) is proceeding appropriately.  They regard these murdered young black males as merely insignificant human beings, whose lives are worthless; whose futures are hopeless; whose dreams will never materilize, primarily, because of their pre-imposed institutionalized impediments.

Michael Vick, Imprisoned Merely for Funding Dog Fighting Venture...

Racial impediments against blacks reveal themselves in any number of absurd ways.  In another case, the American Justice system interrupted the NFL career of Michael Vick, an outstanding young black man with a promising  NFL future.  However, the justice system discovered that Vick was financially involved in a dogfighting venture. 

Once the dogs were injured or no longer useful, the people in the business--not Michael Vick himself-- would somehow, put the dogs to sleep,  or kill them. Conservative Americans were enraged that Vick's business would kill dogs.  Seemingly, In our American racist mentality, dogs are more important than black human beings; so we immediately acted decisively:  We sent Vick to prison for years!

 But, divine providence intervened in Mr. Vick's favor.  He served his prison sentence with integrity and dignity, using his time  and energies to perfect his professional skills and to refine and enhance his body, mind and spirit.  When Michael Vick was released from prison, he was an even greater football player than before his horrendous encounter with the American justice system.  The entire world now admires and applauds Vick's amazing NFL accomplishments.

America’s Sins of Racism...

But, at some point, As Americans, we must realize that we must pay a price for our continued brutality, dishonesty, and disrespect for humanity, especially young black males.  We know better; we have always known better.  When we perpetuated the most brutal system of slavery ever known to humankind, we knew better.  We would not have continually placed impediments in black people’s struggle to overcome racism if we had not known better. 

We have always known that blacks possessed  the same intellectual capacity as whites.  Otherwise, why would we have deemed it illegal for blacks to learn to read and write—that’s right, ILLEGAL,  punishable by...

     ·        Outrageously brutal lashings, whippings, or beatings;
     ·        Genital castrations and/or other forms of   maiming;
     ·        Burning at the stake (submurging body parts in boiling water); and
     ·       Sometimes even by hanging blacks from trees (Public hangings were often    used as whites’ entertainment.    Entire communities would attend and cheer and jeer at every brutal stage of these vicious hangings.)

These were some of the punishments meted out to blacks for merely learning to read and write!  And...just as we Americans know how ridiculously evil this behavior is now; we knew better then!   This is just one example of the relentlessly evil and cruel atrocities of this country has meted out against blacks in the name of white superiority and racism.  

Slavery lasted almost 400 years, followed by another 100 years of Jim Crow.  Then in the 1960's America began to implement Civil Rights legislation to eliminate some of the atrocious horrors of racism.  However, before Civil Rights laws could alleviate blacks' incredibly vile suffering, conservative whites rose up demanding that America return to the traditional values and morals of their ancestors.

Imagine such ruthlessly evil demands after America's history of presiding over the most brutal form of slavery ever known to humanity for 400 years!  Yet, these are the demands of our conservative and Tea Party fellow Americans.  Herein, lies the roots of the resurgent racism that we are now witnessing.

Recent Disturbing Statistics about Black Males

Now, our American conservative government tells blacks that they should just forget about the past. "That was then; this is now," they say, hoping blacks will overlook the bars of institutional racism that are still in their path.  As a matter of fact, in some instances the bars to justice and equality are even more prevailent now than they were after the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's. 

We have created a society in which black males, who should be the stabilizing force of black families, have become an endangered species. One in every three black males will become a part of our justice system during their life times--One in three will be jailed, imprisoned, or somehow associated with the justice system in a manner that deprives them of their human rights. 

 If one observes the racial inequities in the application of virtually every aspect of the legal system, it is easy to understand why blacks--males and females--are so frequently imprisoned or charged with crimes. For the very same crimes, whites are merely given a slap on the wrist or a much, much lighter sentence.  It is documented fact that blacks and whites are vastly treated differently in the legal system.  This atrocity is exactly the racist system that conservatives are determined to protect.

Integrity, Equality and Justice...Prerequisites for a Great America

The Trayvon Martin case and  other copycat cases in which young black males are being shot and killed   with no subsequent arrests of their killers represents  what conservative Americans consider the appropriate legal response  to this senseless killing of innocent black males.  Indeed, this kind of renegade racist injustice is merely a return to the cruel and unfair traditional American values. 

Conservative ideology is destroying the moral character of America.  If we are going to survive as a nation, we must look beyond the mean-spirited, immoral values of our past.  We are better people than that!   We must reject our history of inequality and injustice and move forward  in a spirit of unity and good will.  This is the only path to becoming the great nation that America is capable of being.


By Theressa G. Wesley, April 2, 2012