Our Beloved America

I stand in solidarity with Trayvon Martin's family as they continue to mourn the loss of their son. I stand in the gap for my community that is heart broken and hurting on so many levels, in particular our Men of Color. What do we say to them now? How are they to believe that their lives are valued in our beloved America? How do we say to our brothers that no matter how successful you are, no matter how much of a positive impact you are trying to have in this society, even if you are just a teenager doing teenage things, testing the waters as they often do, to be careful but non-confrontational, and try not to look so suspicious. Don't carry weapons, don't run, AND don't defend yourself even if you're being pursued. I'm just trying to figure out what kind of advice do we give to our fathers, uncles, husbands, and sons?  

When you go after a kid because you don't like how he looks and what you think he represents and he ends up dead, IT'S WRONG! But, George Zimmerman was found not guilty. He is now a free man. Free to do as he pleases and begin his life again, while Trayvon is dead, laying in the ground, robbed of a future. 

Sadly, in our courtrooms its not about truth, it's about proof. I get it, but I don't. 

Let's go there. The underlying issue is America  has a race issue, always has, always will. People of color are seen as an aggressive, violent prone people! Even when we are the victims, we are some how the aggressors as well. It's not all in our heads. Yes, we are followed in the shopping malls. Yes, the moment we seem to disagree in the workplace we are automatically deemed "The Angry Black Man/Woman" and our workers feel threatened. Yes, we are stopped by police officers for no apparent reason. 

Might I add that the Miami Dade Police Department is currently under investigation by The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice after learning that Miami police officers had shot and killed 17 people during the 2010-2011 period -- including seven young black men, two of whom were unarmed, over the course of eight months. I'm so disgusted!

Lets be honest, it's called racial profiling. A few years ago one of my best friend's husband was profiled while driving his Infinity in Boca Raton, FL (South Florida). The police officers pulled him over because he fit the description. He was a black man driving a black infinity. The officers (there were four of them) had him get out of his car and lay out, face first in the middle of a busy street in his suit in tie with their guns pulled out on him. He was finally able to show the officers his state badge, as he is a child protective investigator. They offered him an apology and wished him well...  This is our beloved America.

On some level I want this world to be a better place for my future son or daughter, my nephews & nieces,  my godson, the kids at my church, and for children all over the world.  But, I know that it wont. It will get worst. As believers, we were never to believe in the world's false sense of safety. There's no real peace here for us. Earth is temporary, with a false sense of security, God is real and only in him will we find true peace. 

Allow me to share a few lines from actor Mathew McConaughey's closing argument in A Time to Kill... "What is it in us that seeks truth? Is it our minds or is it our hearts? I set out to prove that a black man could get a fair trial in the South and that We are equal in the eyes of the law. Thats not the truth cause the eyes of the law are human eyes, yours and mine. Until we can see each other as equals justice is never going to be even handed. It will remain nothing more than a reflection of our own biases and prejudices. So until that day, we have a duty under God to Seek the truth not with our eyes, not with our minds where fear and hate are commonalities into prejudice, but with our hearts. But we don't know better."

I wish the jurors would have sought the truth with their hearts.

My heart goes out to Trayvon Martin's family. 

Signed,

Pieces of Me