10
opinions
Apr. 05 - Apr. 18, 2012
stoutonia.com
The larger significance of the death of Trayvon Martin: The black male is at war with society
Lakayana Drury President of Black Student Union The death of Trayvon Martin has stirred something inside many of us; it feels different, it feels outrageous– out of the ordinary. But when we reflect and think about it for a moment, the death of a young black male by the gun is not a new story. For as much as Trayvon was killed by George Zimmerman, he could have been equally likely to die at the hands of a police officer, or another black brother. The black male is at war with society. He is fighting an inner war of identity with himself and an outer war of anger and misunderstanding with society. The black male is a soul in search of an identity. Too often the father figure is missing from our lives, and this is true for all classes of black men from the President of the United States down to the brother living in Atlanta’s urban ghettos. Those fathers that are around often fail to produce a positive image that is worth emulating. Alternatively, to fill this void, black males are fed these self-defeating images of the “thug” or “gangster”: the “hard” black male who sells drugs, belongs to a gang, is hyper aggressive and does not participate in society. It’s either that or be a rapper or athlete, both of which are not realistic for the black masses as a whole. Put simply, the black male struggles to find a consistent and realistic role model in his life with which to emulate. The killing of Trayvon Martin feels different because he was a well-loved boy with a promising future who was not looking for trouble. His father’s resilience and strength in the wake of his son’s murder speaks to his role as his father. He [Trayvon] looks innocent in his picture smiling brightly and seems to have been on a good path despite his suspension from school for marijuana. The fact that he was killed in a gated community by a man who appears white has fueled the outrage. If Trayvon had been killed by another black
man in the inner city, he would probably be just another stain on the concrete. The problem with this tragedy is we are highlighting the wrong issue. The fact that Zimmerman appears white, although he is biracial, allows us to point towards racism as the cause instead of acknowledging the broader conflict of war the black male is fighting against society that is claiming our sons one way or another. What should be the real focus of this case is destructive war being waged between society and the black male. We need to ask ourselves why so many young brothers go to jail, join gangs, sell drugs, become unemployed or become victims of gun crimes?
black history and culture. Make them aware of the dangers that lurk in the world, including lack of education, unemployment and the effects of drugs, and the importance of a father figure. Teach them to limit destructive forces and influences in our lives: severely limit exposure to almost all of the hip-hop music that promotes, gangs, violence, excessive partying and pimping women. Teach them how to interact with their siblings, how to interact with women, the joy of sports but the reality of education. The killing of Trayvon also reminds us that the black male is a target in society; this is an undeniable fact, and while we can do our best to avoid conflict, Moving forward. sometimes it will come In order to move forto you and with that ward we must acknowledge knowledge, we must the problem. The deaths be prepared to defend of [our] young black men ourselves by any means are, for the most part, not necessary. Take a break due to a hidden racism or from this summer’s an aggressive police state. basketball camps and Black males are coming in instead enroll yourself contact with destructive and your kids in marforces and fighting against tial arts and self-defense themselves and against socourses. Areas of focus ciety. Yes, the system preys should include grapon us, incarcerating us for pling and locking; trainpetty crimes which often ing should also include eliminates us from the em- Lakayana Drury/Contributed Photo disarming opponents ployment field and starts us with weapons. The idea down a dark path, but we can change it. First, is not to attack others, but should our life be we must be fathers. Not just being in our son’s threatened, we should have the knowledge to lives, but interacting with them, nurturing effectively immobilize those who would do us them and leading by example. A true man ex- harm. Such courses encourage physical activpresses his feelings; kiss your sons, tell them ity and build on life principles of honor, respect how much you care, let them know that they and humility. Additionally, we must teach our are loved, that it is ok to cry. Let go of the thug children conflict-resolution skills to help avoid image and express your emotions. Educate altercations if possible. Such skills would have your children, supplement their learning in been valuable in Trayvon’s instance. The black institutions with lessons they will not receive male instinct is often to react aggressively in school, including an in depth exploration of against those who confront us, which is not
how Trayvon reacted, but can be detrimental by escalating the conflict. As far as arming ourselves with weapons—especially guns—this is not the answer. We have seen the effects of guns for far too long in our society; they have claimed the lives of our greatest leaders and cut short the lives of our most promising sons. The most powerful weapon we have is our mind; cultivating those of our children is ultimately the way to move forward. Ultimately, Trayvon Martin lives on inside all of us. His death is a tragedy and a story we have seen all too often. The strength of his family, especially his parents Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, is something we can all find inspiration in. There is a lot of emotion in this killing and, for those of us who are filled with feelings of hate or anger, I would encourage you to think: How would Martin Luther King Jr. respond? What would he say about Trayvon Martin? To all my fellow black brothers out there, enough is enough. We can no longer point fingers at racism or the police state as a justification of our shortcomings. We must hold ourselves to higher standards and demand more from ourselves, from our parents, from our friends and our family. We cannot simply move out of the hood and never look back. No, we must return like Harriet Tubman and guide others out of the shadows and into the land of opportunities. We must stand up against these hip-hop artists, call them out and declare “No, that is not the true image of a black man. I will show you what a true black man is capable of!” Trayvon exists inside all of us and we must stand together and end this war that we are waging. We must seize this moment, while the country is supporting us and marching with us in the streets for our fallen brother and declare this is the time when the black male shall redeem his spirit and find his way. The war must end now. As Fred Hampton once said, “You can kill the revolutionary, buy you can’t kill the revolution!” Now is the time. Dedicated to Trayvon Martin, his family and those moved by his death
IT’S TIME … TO TALK ABOUT IT! CONNECT. RESPECT. PREVENT SEXUAL VIOLENCE. April may be National Sexual Assault Awareness month, but it is an issue that needs to be addressed every day of the year by parents, teachers, schools, churches and our communities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the results for the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2010 (NISVS) state that “on average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalk-
ing by an intimate partner in the U.S.” That is more than 12 million men and women who become victims each year. These numbers are staggering and emphasize the fact that sexual violence is a significant public health problem in the United States. At the University of Wisconsin-Stout, students in the Human Development and Family Studies program are bringing awareness to the campus and
surrounding communities by participating in Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) through the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. The campaign for 2012 is “It’s time… to talk about it!” There will be a variety of social action projects the month of April such as spreading the word via social networking sites and area publications, collaborating with Eau Claire county Jail to provide
sexual assault awareness and prevention, discussing dating violence and healthy dating at area high schools and the “Take Back the Night” event. Sexual assault is any unwanted sexual act. The assailant may be a stranger, but it is much more likely to be an acquaintance, a family member or someone the victim knows well. Please join us is spreading the word, for it is indeed time to talk about it.