Trayvon Did Not Die in Vain

Trayvon Martin did not die in vain.

His death was important.  It has touched something deep inside us all, both  black and white.  It is something that will last.

Technically, racism had nothing to do with Trayvon’s death.  Racism did not come up in the trial, and neither the judge nor any of the jurors has been shown to be a racist.

Still, we all know that racism was deeply involved, if only somehow.

Black people see the trial as just another in the never-ending line of injustices that have been committed against them since their ancestors were slaves. 

But it has touched white people, too, in new ways.  Many white people are being forced for the first time to really see -- and hopefully take responsibility for -- the many indignities we force on black people every day. 

Unlike the riots of yesteryear that resulted from perceived injustices, the Black response to Trayvon’s death has been calm, purposeful, focused, and persistent. 

One of the movement’s primary demands, especially by Trayvon’s family, is that all states vacate their so-called Stand Your Ground laws.  

Let’s hope they win.  Stand Your Ground  is a stupid law.  Civilized societies have forever been based on the principle that it’s better to retreat from a death threat than to “stand your ground.” 

White gun-totin’ racists who like these laws need to remember that black people have many more opportunities to use them against whites than whites do against blacks, and courts these days are trending toward listening to minorities with more respect. 

The movement’s leaders could be demanding the Stand Your Ground principle be strengthened so they could use it as a defense in court. Instead, they are demanding its end.  Power to them.

-Skip