If you don’t know the name, please google it and get up to speed about this horrendous tragedy. If you’ve signed petitions, let your voice be heard, held our kids a little closer, checked on loved ones, are outraged that, as of this writing, the person in question is not at least locked up and answering questions, and are ready to roll our sleeves up for justice again, salute. I am Trayvon Martin. I didn’t know him, but because I am a Black Man, I am him. Because I have two sons 17 and 19, they are him too. We all live in America, a place where Black Life continually and historically is looked upon as expendable, criminalized, and not worthy of simple things like peace, and a walk to the store. I am Travyon Martin. Why? Because, like him, I walk to the store, unarmed, and have people watch me, clutch purses, cops stopping and shining lights, surveillance in stores, with money in my pocket, and constantly feel the pressure even tougher (even in a sunny progressive place) of being a Black Man in this country. I am here with two thoughts. One, should I just start looking for safer countries to live in? Do I bounce? Understanding that just off who I am, the way I look, the way I dress, and yes I wear hoodies too as a grown man, that I could get killed, by a rentacop, the police, or even other brothers that look like me. I mean it’s a stone cold reality of being an American, understanding the history of this place, and then have to lace up shoes and step out into this world as a Black Man. The other thought is do I stay and fight? Do I teach my youth I’m working with what injustice means and why it’s necessary to speak up and speak out, to be safe and aware, to prepare them how to deal with what is happening in this world? Do I applaud my sons when they speak out in their hometown, do I applaud my students for being able to talk about similar feelings as the last moments of Trayvon’s life, where you are being harassed by crazy strangers who have stereotyped you? I am Trayvon Martin. I could be Oscar Grant’s brother because, like him, I was unarmed. I can’t help but to see the correlation, and I’m sure there are thousands of others. I am Trayvon Martin.
The answer to these thoughts are a little of both of YES. Yes, dual citizenship is the next level of life and is a matter of my personal security. Simply put, on an African American Presidents’ watch, as a Black Man, I still feel unsafe in this country and have to continue to build a natural extra layer of skin just to be able to exist here. It’s doubly felt because I have two sons. They are Trayvon Martin.
On the other side, like Jasiri X, I have to use my voice to say something. In truth, I’ve been saying it and my catalog speaks to that fact, but more than music, I want to teach better, write better, continue to show my best self, in the face of possible real death. It’s freeing to say to the negative forces of the world, I’m still here, walking up my block, in a so called safe neighborhood, a Black Man, and you can’t kill all of us. We will fight. We will push, and we will claim our existence here as Black Men. I am Trayvon Martin, and I have ancestors in the soil here. Their sweat and labor serve as the power that jump started this country. America is my home too, and I’m not going to let someone in the mindset of Zimm…(I won’t even give him ink in my blog) run me off.
The truth is, there are a lot of people, armed, in this country, right now, with the same idea and attitude as this dude Zimm… Listen to the 911 tapes, listen to his disdain, hear his matter of fact-ness that Trayvon had to be up to something, and worthy to be killed. The truth is that alot of people, in this country, feel that way. The lady of justice is still wearing a blindfold, because how can this person, not be locked up right now. Man, I jaywalked the other day in front of a cop, and he looked like he wanted to give me 5 to 10, but a person kills someone else, and it takes all this push just for something to happen. Mr. President, thank you for saying if you had a son he’d look like Trayvon. Thank you for acknowledging his parents, and saying this is a tragedy. Now I ask, please help from the executive level to protect all the Trayvon Martin’s of the world.
I am Trayvon Martin, and i know what it feels like, and after hearing about this, I had to say something. Swift and right justice. That’s part of it, but it does not bring back a life. We have to not just make the name Trayvon Martin, and too many others names to just become symbols and forget that a human being is gone. Our humanity is going right along with it if not only something is done about this horrendous tragedy, but the truth be told about this place we call America, and something be done about it. For once and for all. I remember hearing our president talk about Healthcare, and how for decades they tried to solve the problem, and now was the time. Well, if now is not the time to help Black People in terms of their safety and security from these madmen, then it will never be.
As Black Men, we already know, protect ourselves, and add another layer of skin because another Black Male died, and it didn’t have to be. While I’m at it, let me say this, when someone outside of our race kills someone within our race, the petitions are out, people are up in arms, social media is popping… But when it’s us killing us, we are silent. Let us not be hypocritical and make sure as Black People we are not just asking for justice for the oppressed and murdered like Trayvon Martin and numerous of others, but we want total and complete peace. I am Trayvon Martin and this are my true words. Peace
