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Martin’s birthday and death day both fall in February, the month set aside for white Americans to learn more about Black History. Black Lives Matter is the latest movement to find Afro-Americans fighting for racial equity, this time around, it relates directly to the broken criminal justice system. Martin’s death, which included a recording of his screams for help in a predominantly white neighborhood in Florida shocked the world. His murderer, neighborhood watchmen George Zimmerman walked away from the crimes. Stand your ground is the policy in Florida that protects people like George, and kills people like Trayvon. The law went on the books in 2004 and became law in 2005. It has been twenty years. Here are how some of the commentary from white users on X.
The same graphic is repeatedly used by other X users.
Even when a white user explains that they understand what happened in Martin’s case, the backlash is the same.
Rest assured, the defenders are out on X to back up the nonsense as well.
The work to normalized an open conversation about the treatment of white Americans vs the treatment of Black Americans has yet to happen. Since Slavery, we have been fighting for the same issues. Is it time to pull up seats at the table?
