We Need Change

The past few days have been very disheartening. Watching the conclusion of the Trayvon Martin trial  has been an emotional roller coaster. There are so many people who are shaking my faith in humanity. When reporting on the acquittal, Geraldo Rivera said again, "If you dress like a thug, people will treat you like a thug." Unfortunately it seems many in our country agree with him. This is a classic case of blaming the victim, but it is also just plain false. My teenage son practically lives in hoodies. He is not treated like a thug. The key factor is that he is white. The true crime here is assuming that people from specific races that "dress like thugs" deserve to be killed.

Anyone claiming that this event has nothing to do with race is in denial. We have to do better as a society. As a mother, as an educator, as a human being, I want the world we live in to be better than than this. Things like the We Are Not Trayvon Martin tumblr and the conversations I see happening online give me some hope that change may still come. The song below says it well.