Martin Luther King Jr. said, “I have a dream that my ... children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” The recent killing of black teen, Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watchman proves his dream still has not come true.
The shooting happened on Feb. 26, and only garnered national attention when Zimmerman was not charged with a crime. As a result, groups and individuals from across the country accused Zimmerman of being a racist, saying he only killed Martin because the young man was black.
There are some facts the media and these people choose to overlook. Martin did not live in the neighborhood; he was visiting his father, and was walking alone at night. Martin was recently suspended, for a third time, from high school after being found in a restricted area of the school with marijuana residue in his backpack, and there is also evidence that he attacked and pinned Zimmerman to the ground.
This case has many similarities to the accused rape of a black prostitute by three white Duke University lacrosse players in 2006. People around the country accused the players of hate crimes and were immediately sure of their guilt solely based on the different races, until it was revealed the prostitute had lied about the whole ordeal.
It is time we move past the 1960s and start looking at the facts of a case, rather than the race of those involved. Also, what about the 13-year-old white boy in Kansas City who was doused in gasoline and lit on fire by two black teens solely for being a “white boy;” where is the public outcry for this?
— Aaron Lingler, second-year history major