For those of you who know me, you are aware that I am one of the persons who is very troubled by the death of Trayvon Martin on 2/26/12, and the recent acquittal of the man who shot and killed him. I am concerned for his family who has los...t a son, brother, nephew and cousin. And I am concerned about what this means for America, the nation of my birth and life, and especially what this says and means about the perceptions that we have about young black and brown males in America, and how we value their lives.
I write and speak not as a media pundit or politician, but as a concerned citizen of the United States. I write and speak as a parent, a pastor and a theologian. I write and speak as a person who has led, taught and coached young persons of many nations and all races for three decades. I write and speak because I believe it is our right and duty to do so. And I write and speak because I seek to more fully understand what is going on in our nation, and perhaps to help raise consciousness so that we can all do our part in making things better for all people.
One of the images that has haunted me for over a year as it regards Trayvon Martin's death is the hoodie that he was wearing. Maybe it is because I have seen my sons - who were both excellent athletes and honor students - leave the house on hundreds of occasions wearing hoodies. Maybe it is because I wore a hoodie through many years as a football and basketball coach of young boys of all races. Maybe it is because today I wear a hoodie to the gym four days a week to stay warm after sweating through my workouts. And so more than even the Skittles or Arizona Ice Tea, it is the image of the hoodie that haunts me.
This past week, Geraldo Rivera went on the record again by saying that the reason why Trayvon Martin was shot in the chest and killed was because he was wearing a hoodie. I wonder what the direct connection is between a teenager's death and wearing a hoodie, and how in the world anybody could arrive at this conclusion. I've appealed to Aristotle's formal logic on this one, but I can't figure it out...
I write and speak not as a media pundit or politician, but as a concerned citizen of the United States. I write and speak as a parent, a pastor and a theologian. I write and speak as a person who has led, taught and coached young persons of many nations and all races for three decades. I write and speak because I believe it is our right and duty to do so. And I write and speak because I seek to more fully understand what is going on in our nation, and perhaps to help raise consciousness so that we can all do our part in making things better for all people.
One of the images that has haunted me for over a year as it regards Trayvon Martin's death is the hoodie that he was wearing. Maybe it is because I have seen my sons - who were both excellent athletes and honor students - leave the house on hundreds of occasions wearing hoodies. Maybe it is because I wore a hoodie through many years as a football and basketball coach of young boys of all races. Maybe it is because today I wear a hoodie to the gym four days a week to stay warm after sweating through my workouts. And so more than even the Skittles or Arizona Ice Tea, it is the image of the hoodie that haunts me.
This past week, Geraldo Rivera went on the record again by saying that the reason why Trayvon Martin was shot in the chest and killed was because he was wearing a hoodie. I wonder what the direct connection is between a teenager's death and wearing a hoodie, and how in the world anybody could arrive at this conclusion. I've appealed to Aristotle's formal logic on this one, but I can't figure it out...
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