If you were one of the millions of Americans who watched President Barack Obama address to the nation regarding the George Zimmerman verdict last Friday evening, you were likely to have heard him say, “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.” The president’s statement is now a slogan that has become eminent in the African American community. From coast to coast the American people have been at odds on the outcome of the Zimmerman trial and verdict. Some of Obama’s critics are now saying he is to blame for the racial antipathy that has followed. Obama’s concern was nothing short of the agony that Blacks across this nation are feeling and he clearly noted that he himself identified with the plight of everyday African American male susceptible to injustice based on the color of his skin.

White America would insist that we forget the trials and tribulations that have befallen the Black race and overlook the blatant injustice that the United States justice system is serving African American men. During Obama’s remarks he stated the following. “ There are very few African Americans who haven’t had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she had a chance to get off.” Obama included himself. People today should not be naïve enough to believe that we are living in a post racial society. The same people who would want Blacks overlooked in the justice system would also say that justice has been fair to George Zimmerman. This is disgusting, considering the fact that if Zimmerman were Black and Trayvon was a white teenager the outcome would have been entirely different.

African Americans are not naïve to the crimes that occur in Black neighborhoods or the history of violence within the Black communities. What stirs up anger and hostility is that a Black adolescent can be wrongfully harmed and the justice system will not stand behind them. A portion of Americans would rather ridicule President Obama for only speaking the truth. The fact that an African American lady who is also a resident of Florida recently fired a shot in self-defense but still faced charges is evident that racism is still playing a major role in our society.

One might believe the world would advise African Americans to remain silent about issues of racism and view it as a thing of the past. But the Zimmerman verdict defuses that notion. President Obama was correct when he said the justice system is suited against the African American male. Despite the fact that the President is pushing for Black males to feel secure and not oppressed by the justice system, racial profiling and Black injustice will continue to prevail. America will not reach a post racial society due to the very fact that there will always be those select few who use their position of power to oppress minorities and make African Americans the targets of the criminal system and continued injustice.

By: LaMarco McClendon
Politics & Pop Culture Blogger
ReelUrbanNews.com