Breaking The Silence

Around the time last month that I was sulking over my sister’s 10th year of being gone from this earth, some other family was about to find out that their son was taken from them.

He sat in a morgue for three days, unclaimed.

He was brandishing a pack of candy and some iced tea.

He was – Trayvon Martin.

I didn’t know whether or not I would write about him, for fear that I would subconsciously offend someone somewhere.

But you know what? I don’t care. It’s high time that we stop acting as if we live in the perfect country. It’s also time that those of us who identify ourselves as Christians, stop living behind a veil of hate and saying that it’s the will of God.

I’m going to need for people to stop living in the belief that other races are beneath them as well. It’s disheartening to see some of the statements that are coming forth from this entire travesty. It makes me want to just lock my family up in our house and just form a commune.

Then –

Rage turned into action. I sent candy to the police station in Sanford, Florida. They may not have opened it, they may not even have noticed that an envelope from Chicago, Illinois had crossed their desk, but I put my rage into action. I’ve been vocal about this tragedy since I learned of it. There is a lot of blame going around the web about why people are “just now” acting, or why they are even acting at all. I’m sure that there are people in Chicago who want to know why Trayvon’s case has gotten so much attention, while we live in a city that is notorious for having our young people slain in droves.

It’s not that Trayvon’s case outweighs any of theirs. It’s not that we want attention for our efforts. It’s because we are tired. The same tired that our great grandparents and grandparents were when the Montgomery Bus Boycott got rolling. There was indeed someone who refused to give their seat up before Rosa Parks, but we as a people (and not just black people) weren’t TIRED enough yet.

We’re tired. We’re tired of anyone being able to brandish a gun and discharge on people that they deem suspicious or dangerous when they aren’t even enclosed in a space to feel threatened. We’re tired of women falling behind men in pay, promotions and positions. We’re tired of religion getting in the way of loving our neighbors. We’re tired of our children being pitted against each other to see who’s smarter. We’re tired of being told that what we wear causes rape, or our own deaths. We’re tired of men from old money telling women what their reproductive rights should be. We’re tired of people who get upset when someone of a darker hue is cast in a movie role (hello adorable Rue from the Hunger Games.) We’re tired of people saying things like – “Oh, I would care, but they’re black/hispanic/native american/gay/lesbian/a woman/ a kid/poor/homeless. We’re tired of everything.

Zimmerman may have been an angel before February 26, 2012 – but I highly doubt it. I believe that he was someone living with a superman complex. I believe that any kid in a hoodie would have gotten accosted by him that rainy evening.

While the blatant point that this man shot an unarmed CHILD is still the basic reason that I would LOVE to see him put under the jail – it has trickled into a racial standoff between many people. Hoodies have been purchased to show solidarity and those who don’t understand the movement or who choose to not care make light of the situation. I’ve seen one too many “I should have bought stock in Skittles or Nestea” status messages or tweets than I can be comfortable with.

I would LOVE to see racism end before I leave this earth. It’s a lofty dream, but one that I refuse to wake up from until it’s my reality.

Rest well Trayvon – and may peace come to his parents as we continue to stand behind you in this fight for justice.