USA: Treyvon Martin case shows that racial equality is still a work in progress

There is no simplistic answer to this heavily burdened question. America has definitely crossed many a hurdles and reached milestones, yet race relations, remains a work in progress. 

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Miami Islam Examiner
By Mansura Minhas | March 23, 2012

On Feb 26, Treyvon Martin, a black teen from Miami was shot dead by a vigilante neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford- a suburb of Orlando. The case has caught the attention of the national media and is now being investigated by the Justice department, after the Sanford community protested that the killer was never arrested. The shooter, Zimmerman cites self-defense and a Florida controversial 'Stand Your Ground' law protects him. He has still not been charged.

This case has struck a raw nerve and jolted the conscience of the nation. The fact that a black man is the President of the United States might have contributed to certain amount of complacency and led us to assume that racial bigotry has dissipated and is no longer a hot button issue.

Sanford is a multiracial city and as news emerges from there, it becomes evident that racial tensions were already simmering. The community became outraged when the killer was never charged. How the police acted in the aftermath of the shooting, led many to question its ineptitude.

Only Zimmerman knows his motivation for shooting an unarmed young boy. Was he an overzealous volunteer trying to protect his community from intruders, or was his attack really instigated by racial bigotry? As details of the case emerge, it appears that the defendant’s attorneys will likely face a tough challenge of defending his assertion of self-defense.

Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (D) from FL-district 17 gave an emotional testimony in the Congress yesterday to express her grief on the killing of the innocent teenager.

 http://globalgrind.com/news/congresswoman-frederica-wilson-trayvon-martin-goes-congress-video

She has expressed her sorrow at this grave tragedy and taken up a cause to ensure that justice is served in this case.

 President Obama rarely opens up on race issues and he was often criticized during the 2008 campaign for his refrain. Today, he set caution aside and weighed into the issue and said ‘If I had a son, he would look like Treyvon’ and he might have done this at a huge political risk. It is encouraging that the President addressed the issue, despite advice to the contrary, from his advisors. By taking the race issue heads on, President Obama has thrust this contentious topic  into lime light. Now we can expect some serious talk about it on the airwaves, and this is exactly what the situation mandates.

 Racial inequality and discrimination is an extremely sensitive and charged subject. Now that the issue is out in the open, it is time for some soul searching. America has come a long way and crossed many a barriers, yet it has not been able to eradicate racial bigotry completely. In the last week, several black people have written about how they caution and prepare their sons to counter the stereotypes that prevail about young, black males. Toure in his essay on “how to talk to young black boys about Treyvon Martin” advises them that “we can be defiant and dead or smart and alive”. (Time, March 21, 2012) Isn’t it sad that a Fox journalist puts the onus of Treyvon’s death on his ‘hoodie’?

 Isn't it surreal to hear/read these discussions in the mainstream media? Apparently they set us back in time and make us wonder, ‘was there ever any progress in race relations?’ There is no simplistic answer to this heavily burdened question. America has definitely crossed many a hurdles and reached milestones, yet race relations, remains a work in progress. America is a bastion of pluralism and a great model of how diversity has made this nation stronger, richer and prosperous.

Confronted with tragedies like this, after careful deliberation, America has always ebbed forward. The pace is arguably very slow, yet it’s headed in the right direction. Treyvon Martin case has consequences for other segments of the society as well As some radical elements in the Muslim community resort to violence and perpetrate hatred, it is easy to fall in the stereotypical trap and deem young Muslim men as terrorists. My son’s name is Muhammad and I would simply abhor this trend. No one should meet the fate of Treyvon and be a victim of a hate crime spurred by stereotypes.

Is this too much to expect? Not really. Because we have faith in the founding traditions of this great nation which espouse “All men are created equal”. This immortal declaration holds the key to our progress and safeguards our unique status in the world. This is what makes us cling on to hope, as we grieve for Treyvon and await justice being served in this case. This tragedy should make us reflect on our inadequacies and let us calibrate ourselves to rise above this tragedy. Hopefully, we’ll come out stronger and determined, as we always emerge, when confronted with such solemn issues.


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