Trayvon Martin: Racism In America

Adrian Cronauer once said that “Martin Luther King, Jr. didn't carry just a piece of cloth to symbolize his belief in racial equality; he carried the American flag.” Martin Luther King Jr. knew that racism was more than one person or one group; he knew it was an issue that required the entire United States of America to solve. He carried the American flag to represent unity in America, but that still to this day isn’t solved. Trayvon Martin is just one of countless accounts of racism presented in America today.
Black lives matter is a huge controversial topic throughout America. Whether the African Americans are truly innocent before they are killed or not is a question that may never have a legitimate yes or no answer. As of right now, the
Trayvon was walking back from the convenient store, Seven Eleven, with skittles in his hoodie pocket, a drink in one hand, and his cell phone in the other. Less than a year before the local neighborhood watch was created, Geroge, being a member of the committee, was armed in case of an emergency. George had called the police many times that day when he was following Trayvon. He reported a suspicious suspect every time and the police said that they would be there shortly to deal with the problem (“Trayvon Martin Biography” 2). While this was happening, Martin was on his phone. He texted his friend that there is a “Creepy-ass cracker” following him in a car (Saletan 2). Trayvon was startled and fearful from the unknown man following him for so long that he did what most others would do, he ran. Zimmerman saw this as a crime and got out and chased him. After running him down, he shot the boy: killing him instantly. Trayvon was less than one hundred yards from his doorstep when he was killed. His father found out about his death after filing a missing persons form due to the eering fact that his son had been gone for so long and he had heard nothing from him (“Trayvon Martin Biography”
The town that his father lived in was mostly composed of African Americans, meaning they were on the side of Trayvon. Zimmerman was announced not guilty in the ruling of the court meaning that no charges were carried through. This outraged not only the African Americans in the town, but across the country. Over one million signatures were put on a petition for the arrest of George Zimmerman that unfortunately proved unsuccessful because the court ruling was final (“From Trayvon Martin” ). The Trayvon Martin Foundation was established in March of 2012 to spread the awareness and information about tragedies like Trayvon’s case (“Trayvon Martin Biography” 2). Common questions like “does wearing a hoodie make someone a thug?” were asked. Due to the outreach of the organization, the African American community became more aware of situations like being followed in the mall to make sure they aren’t stealing anything, or when doors would lock whenever they walked past houses at night ("From Trayvon Martin” 3). Although this case was over, but still booming in the populous areas of America, President Barack Obama stepped in and said “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.” this was shocking to many. This was the president of the United States of America standing up for an African American child who was killed by a white man and even though he was not guilty, Obama still disagreed with the court ruling (“From Trayvon