Trayvon’s Legacy: The Lessons & Takeaways

By SHAWN JONES

Over the last few months, the nation was captivated over the story of a boy and neighborhood watchmen.

This tragedy had everything; it divided the nation, caused outrage, celebrity involvement, even the President of the United States weighed in. From the 9-1-1 call, to the verdict, we were glued to the TV.

After all the dust has settled; what did we learn from this tragedy; what is the ever-lasting imprint of Trayvon’s story on this nation?

This is Trayvon’s Legacy.

Media Miss

We all watched and read, hours and hours of coverage, from every media outlet in the nation on this story. 

My problem with the media; they place the tragedy in the context of race (preferably the issues of black and white in America). Trayvon was not a victim of racism, or the history of blacks and whites in this country.  He was a victim of bias, something we all have, and does make an individual racist. But, can be just as negative, and a breeding ground for racism. 

To frame this story as a white man killing a black boy was tasteless and a cheap narration - beside Zimmerman is Hispanic. By the media not taking this opportunity to educate the public on the difference (Bias and Racism) is a huge disservice to Trayvon’s memory.

CNN's “Anderson Cooper 360” featured a segment on bias, in the after-math of the verdict, but this was a little-to-late. The narrative of “black and white” had already dominated the story-line.

Check Yourself, Your’re Bias

A study done by Psychologists at Harvard, University of Virginia and Washington define bias as a “exaggerated belief”.

“Image or distorted truth about a person or group — a generalization that allows for little or no individual differences or social variation.”

Can we say Zimmerman is racist, because of his actions?  Or, did he allow his bias of young African-Americans to place him in a nightmare.

In the “Project Implicit” study, physiologists believe, if people are aware of their hidden biases, they can monitor, and change attitudes over time. That is the challenge Trayvon’s story leave with us, the second phase of Civil Rights and King’s dream; to see individuals as individuals. 

Just because it’s Law, Doesn't make it Right

Beside the killing, what took center-stage in this story was the "Stand Your Ground" law.  Before this case, most Floridian – let alone a nation, knew about this law. At face value it sounds good; given citizens power to stand up to criminals, but the results tell another story.

The Tampa Bay Times reviewed nearly 200 “stand your ground” cases in the state of Florida. Their finding can be described as “shocking”:

• Those who invoke "stand your ground" to avoid prosecution have been extremely successful. Nearly 70 percent have gone free
•  Defendants claiming "stand your ground" are more likely to prevail if the victim is black (73 percent of those who killed a black person faced no penalty compared to 59 percent of those who killed a white.)

According to the Huffington Post, “Since the law was enacted, justifiable homicides in Florida have risen from an annual average of 13.2 between 2001 and 2005 to an average of 42 between 2006 and 2012, including a record 66 in 2012.”

The FBI reported similar increases in other states that ratified similar laws.

I’m guessing, it comes to no surprise the NRA (National Rifle Association) help construct, and lobby to get the bill passed that carried the stand your ground clause.

I understand the “explanation” for the law, but you can clearly see why people (Especially minorities) are outrage.  The law – unintended or not, created a license to kill in neighborhood around America. All-anyone has to do is create a situation that is plausible and rational to kill.

Anyone can create the conditions to kill - can you imagine a place like Chicago, if it had “stand your ground”?

As citizens, we must hold our elected officials accountable and be aware of what is being done -  not only on our behalf, but the interest of big business, and being masked has the public good.

A Black Problem

The President of the United States, Barack Obama spoke on the black experience in America, why people were outraged at the verdict, and why he relates to Trayvon.

It was a nice gesture by the president, but for all the outrage and marches that occur in the name Trayvon Martin. The African-American community needs to come to this realization;

AFRICAN-AMERICANS ARE ONE OF REASONS TRAYVON MARTIN IS DEAD!

Now - before you get ready to email me some not-so-nice messages. Lets go back, to why Zimmerman felt and thought – the way he did, moments leading up to Trayvon's death.

It was reported, a number of burglaries and crimes occurred a few weeks prior to the altercation, most of these crimes were committed by young black males, Whoever those kids are, along with their parents, contributed to Trayvon's death that night.

I watch so-called “leaders” of the black community criticize the media for the way black people are portrayed. But, it is the responsibility of the black community to control the content, don’t attack the messenger for reporting your message.

It is hypocritical of the African-American community to tell America, “You must value black life” – when we (The black community) don’t value our own lives.

According to the Tampa Times, defendants claiming "stand your ground" are more likely to prevail if the victim is black; most of those defendants were black.

In a Bureau of Justice Statistics report, approximately 8,000 to 9,000 African-Americans are murdered annually in the United States. What is more shocking about that statistics, 93 percent of these murders are committed by other black people!

African-Americans must look inward to change their current narrative in modern society.  Provide more support and resources to our communities, youth, and parents. Establish morals and ethics in the household, and don't allow injustice to go unpunished in the community, these are small things everyone can do, and it doesn't take money.

If we – as black people don’t change the current state in our community, all the marching and support for Trayvon will be perceived as shallow, and his death would have been for nothing. 



(Email Me: Shawn.JonesPR@gmail.com | Connect with me on LinkedIn | Follow me on Twitter)