No Apologies: On The Killing Of Trayvon Martin And Being "Good"

[redqueen]

I posted this in GD but I also wanted to put it here, hope it's ok to do so.

http://blacksnob.com/snob_blog/2012/3/20/no-apologies-on-the-killing-of-trayvon-martin-and-being-good.html

In the tragic murder of Trayvon Martin, there's no safe place. There's no real excuse to cling to. None of the usual dismissals work or fit. It's just bad. Real bad. And sits there and stares at you with it's cruelty and unfairness and ugliness and says, "Take this."

Take this load. And pick it up.

Just take it. And accept it. And choke back the lumps in your throat. As it has happened before. And it will happen again. And again you will be told to "take this."

Take this burden and just accept it as your burden. It's just "how it is." You're all statistics. Take these statistics. And black people get shot everywhere everyday by everyone. Police. Non-police. Crazy people. Bigots. Their parents. Other kids. Just take it. It's part of your Life In America, Black People. Accept this tragedy and go through the motions of appealing to people's decency and demanding justice and having protests and press conferences and crying and asking why and demanding answers and then eventually getting that bad dead cold thing that just sits there and says, "Take this."

...

[NOLALady]

1. Thanks for posting.

[Number23]

2. I have ALWAYS loved the Black Snob

And this is a very powerful piece she's done here.

A long, long time ago when I was young my parents told me I had to be the best to make it in this world. Averageness was something only the white and the male could afford and as a black woman, I was neither. You had to take pride in how you dress and how you spoke and how you behaved. You had to be "good," because good things happen to those who are good and bad things happen to those who are bad. And that's the lie your parents tell you because no one should tell the truth to you when you're that young. You really don't need to know. Otherwise you'd never bother.

Thank you for posting.

[DonCoquixote]

3. Hell yes

And many people are all too happy to slam any Black as "uppity" or "affirmative action" that dares try for the position that is normally defaulted to them, witness one Obama, Barack H.

[SemperEadem]

4. to those types of people

I raise my middle finger and give them the "you're awesome" sign.

[Blue_Tires]

5. excellent quote