Trayvon Martin

Trayvon Martin was ruthlessly murdered on account of mere suspicion due to the fact that he was a young black man with a hoodie. This national tragedy has spurred many protests and rallies to protest the killing, and the failure to arrest the killer, George Zimmerman. However, the country should ask itself why the death of an innocent seventeen year old is what people need to be motivated to combat racism.

Racism is a pervasive problem in our society, and though we have come a long way since Jim Crowe, a different type of racism has emerged. This new breed is worse, and even harder to eradicate because it thrives deep within our subconscious. Racism affects our snap judgments, suspicions, and assumptions, often times without people realizing it. This subtle racism is even harder to overcome than overt actions taken against people of other races because it is harder to pin down. How can you punish someone for something they think?

However, there are solutions to this problem. The solutions lie in knowledge. The more you expose yourself to people of other races, the more you will recognize your similarities rather than your differences. If there is any good to come out of such a tragedy, it has to be the commitment to ending all forms of racism.