Looking back, I remember Monday, February 27th, 2012 as the day after George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin. When I began this post, I didn’t even remember it as my 11th birthday. I remembered my parent's hushed and sad voices as I stumbled down the stairs, half-asleep (something about a hoodie.) Now, when I really think about it, I guess I can remember slouching into the kitchen, seconds later, to shifting demeanors; With exclamations of "it's the birthday girl!" they were smiley and cheery.They left the morning newspaper, its front page emblazoned with the details of a killing that shocked the nation, face down on the table. In that moment, it felt obvious, even if I couldn't begin to understand why, that something was off.
Witnessing the unfolding of the Trayvon Martin played an important role in forming my views on racism in America (and the justice system). The case, while not directly involving police brutality, so clearly displayed the harmful role of race in violent crime and the pursuit of judicial rectitude. Martin’s case, one of an unarmed black teenager shot by an untrained, unqualified neighborhood watchmen, shared a few commonalities with the Rodney King case, and when Zimmerman was acquitted in criminal court, it was also reminiscent of the acquittal of the police officers involved in the Rodney King beating. Because I was so young, it took me a long time to fully wrap my head around the case, but at the time, my views were strongly influenced by those of the people around me. My family is made up of generations of liberals based in Los Angeles, a predominantly liberal city, and exposure to liberal rhetoric on issues of social justice and racial discrimination gave me a foundation on which I have interpreted similar issues since. Every time that a new (and equally horrifying) case of violent discrimination in brought to light, I think back to the morning of my 11th birthday. For me, it was the first of what would be many grim mornings, waking up in a country more divided than it was the night before.
Witnessing the unfolding of the Trayvon Martin played an important role in forming my views on racism in America (and the justice system). The case, while not directly involving police brutality, so clearly displayed the harmful role of race in violent crime and the pursuit of judicial rectitude. Martin’s case, one of an unarmed black teenager shot by an untrained, unqualified neighborhood watchmen, shared a few commonalities with the Rodney King case, and when Zimmerman was acquitted in criminal court, it was also reminiscent of the acquittal of the police officers involved in the Rodney King beating. Because I was so young, it took me a long time to fully wrap my head around the case, but at the time, my views were strongly influenced by those of the people around me. My family is made up of generations of liberals based in Los Angeles, a predominantly liberal city, and exposure to liberal rhetoric on issues of social justice and racial discrimination gave me a foundation on which I have interpreted similar issues since. Every time that a new (and equally horrifying) case of violent discrimination in brought to light, I think back to the morning of my 11th birthday. For me, it was the first of what would be many grim mornings, waking up in a country more divided than it was the night before.
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