by Priscilla Ward

I felt like everything was okay. The ability to separate myself from history was blissful. I had the mental and physical autonomy to brush it off and not be bothered. On a small scale I understood the pain and despair of African-Americans’ struggles in this country, but they were distant and far removed. I could study them one moment, shelve the pain, and focus on something else the next.

by Shannon Luders-Manuel

When I talk about my family culture, I’m mixed. When I talk about racism, I’m black. When Trayvon Martin was shot for wearing a hoodie, I was black. When Eric Garner was choked to death for selling cigarettes on the street, I was black. When Sandra Bland was arrested for failing to turn on her blinker, I was black. When churchgoers were shot for being black, I was black.

by Dr. Kenda McDow

I heard the verdict in my car, driving from my birth home, Washington, DC to my new home, Baltimore, MD. I was stunned, my mouth agape and my mind muddled.

Not guilty.

by Lynett R. Glass

For the past few weeks, I have been struggling to dissect the inner turmoil of my reaction to the Trayvon Martin case ruling. I knew it had something to do with the incredibly undeniable dismissal of Sybrina Fulton’s pain. No matter what segment of history you investigate, when you search for Black Women, they, in large, are subjected to a role that is secondary to all other human beings - faces unseen, voices unheard, needs unmet. Even in extreme battles to be an acknowledged presence, more often than not, there is a backlash so stunningly thick with charges of audacity and ungratefulness, the reaction itself takes precedence over the initial movement in the retelling of history.

The elephant in the room is waving its tusks. America has had a rude awakening. The masses now understand that we are far from being a “post racial” society. The Voting Rights Acts (VRA) and Affirmative Action rulings, Bloomberg’s defense of “Stop and Frisk,” Paula Deen’s implosion and the George Zimmerman trial have created a collision of race, class and culture; pouring a bucket of cold water on all those who believe we live in a world where people “don’t see color.” What’s been revealed are the racial assumptions and socioeconomic judgements floating just beneath the surface of our conversations, confrontations and political decisions. 

by Eris Zion Venia Dyson

As I celebrated my 29th birthday with family and friends the verdict for the Zimmerman case was announced. The evening that began as a celebration of life, quickly turned into an introspective night of sadness, anger, frustration, and a whole heap of questions. My cousin, who is the father of a 3 year old son said “it’s safer for my son to be gay than to be black in this country” lamenting on the recent Supreme Court decisions. My mother reflected on the lack of congruency for what is a convictable crime. She spoke about the Michael Vick case where he served 21 months of jail time for hosting an illegal dog fighting ring. We talked about Jordan Davis, the teen shot in cold blood because his music was ‘too loud’, and the police officers in Cleveland, Ohio that fired 137 shots at an unarmed couple. Others mentioned Marissa Alexander. A mother who was sentenced to 20 years in jail for firing warning shots at her abusive husband. The common theme of the evening: What is a Black life worth in America?

From the start of the journey to justice for Trayvon Martin more than a year ago, social media organizing has played an integral role in shedding light on the case and rallying a community of concerned citizens. Yet the efforts demonstrated online continue to find detractors in those unconvinced of the effectiveness of online organizing.

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This afternoon I took a walk down our block in Los Angeles and a white man yelled, "Go back to Inglewood or Ima shoot you like they did that Trayvon Martin!”

I was going to say something, but I had my son. And I didn't know if the white man really had a gun. And I want my son to stay alive. So I left and came home. Then I read the text my sister had just sent me that Zimmerman had been acquitted of murdering Trayvon, and I understood why that man felt he could run out after us and say what he said. This verdict has set a precedent giving racists the carte blanche to kill people of color and get away with it. And I am terrified.