Although I've been following the news about the trial of George Zimmerman, who shot and killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed African American teenager, I've hesitated to comment until now. I guess I was waiting to see what would happen. Now that we have the disappointing trial results, I add my voice to those who believe that a great injustice was done. For me, it all boils down to this: Zimmerman followed a "suspicious" looking youth. What made this youth suspicious? He was black. For those of my white friends who roll their eyes (inwardly or outwardly) at situations like this, saying or thinking, "Here they go again, playing the race card," let me just say that this case is all about race. Period. As whites we have no idea what it would feel like to send our sons out into a world every day where the color of their skin puts them in jeopardy, where they are continually suspect because of their physical appearance. We have no idea.
Therefore, I want to give voice to an insider to the pain the Zimmerman verdict has caused. Here is a blog post from Drew Hart, a minister and graduate student of theology. Drew writes from a Christian perspective, and I find his posts to be informative and insightful. I believe it's important to give voice to someone directly affected by this event. I hope you'll read and consider carefully what he has to say. Drew Hart's blog.
