Trayvon Martin's Killing is a Modern-Day Lynching
by Dianna Hobbs, EEW Magazine President & CEO
by Dianna Hobbs, EEW Magazine President & CEO
People say we don’t know what it’s like to experience the kind of racism that our parents and
grandparents did in the fifties and sixties. Some individuals even argue that we’re in a post-racial
America.
Both groups are wrong.
Though we have made progress in this country, there is a long way to go. The same prejudice that
existed during the height of the Civil Rights era, still lingers.
In fact, the Trayvon Martin case makes it feel like America has entered a time warp back to the
summer of 1955 when the nation was shocked over the lynching of Emmett Till.
Till was a 14 year old black boy who was kidnapped and brutally murdered by angry white men for
allegedly flirting with a white woman in Money, Mississippi. Trayvon Martin was killed for even less—
walking while black and looking “suspicious.”
In Emmett Till's case, sadly, the legal system let the men who committed this monstrous act get away
with it. Prayerfully, we won't have a repeat of the same non-justice with Trayvon Martin or have to
wait as long for a guilty verdict as America did in the killing of Medgar Evers.
In June 1963, Evers, a famed Civil Rights activist was shot dead in his driveway by KKK member
Byron De La Beckwith. It was not until February 1994, nearly 31 years after Evers' death, that
Beckwith was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. And that was the third trial, but the first mix-
raced jury.
We can't wait 31 years for justice for Trayvon Martin. We must demand justice now.
Americans of all races have listened in horror to the 911 tapes and heard the fatal gunshot ring out
that took Trayvon Martin's life. Blacks feel particularly helpless as this clear cut crime is distorted
and complicated in the media. A pain and anger burns in our guts when we hear the suggestion that a
28-year-old armed man is claiming self defense against a defenseless teenager carrying only a bag of
Skittles and a can of iced tea.
We all wait with baited breath and hold out hope that George Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin’s killer
will be brought to justice.
So I ask, how is this case any different from the cases in the fifties or sixties when black boys and men
were gunned down like animals, while law enforcement made excuses for the atrocities? It is not
different, which makes it all the more horrifying.
The idea that anyone hearing this story would even entertain the notion that an armed gunman could
be viewed as a victim when he was the aggressor is simply unimaginable.
I am praying that justice be done and victory be won in the case of Trayvon Martin, who is a victim
of modern-day lynching. I also hope that blacks are reminded that racism in America is alive and well
and racial injustice hurts just as badly today, in 2012, as it did in 1955 and 1963.
We must continue to pray and fight for equal protection under the law.
What are your thoughts on the Trayvon Martin case? Please email feedback@eewmagazine.com.
grandparents did in the fifties and sixties. Some individuals even argue that we’re in a post-racial
America.
Both groups are wrong.
Though we have made progress in this country, there is a long way to go. The same prejudice that
existed during the height of the Civil Rights era, still lingers.
In fact, the Trayvon Martin case makes it feel like America has entered a time warp back to the
summer of 1955 when the nation was shocked over the lynching of Emmett Till.
Till was a 14 year old black boy who was kidnapped and brutally murdered by angry white men for
allegedly flirting with a white woman in Money, Mississippi. Trayvon Martin was killed for even less—
walking while black and looking “suspicious.”
In Emmett Till's case, sadly, the legal system let the men who committed this monstrous act get away
with it. Prayerfully, we won't have a repeat of the same non-justice with Trayvon Martin or have to
wait as long for a guilty verdict as America did in the killing of Medgar Evers.
In June 1963, Evers, a famed Civil Rights activist was shot dead in his driveway by KKK member
Byron De La Beckwith. It was not until February 1994, nearly 31 years after Evers' death, that
Beckwith was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. And that was the third trial, but the first mix-
raced jury.
We can't wait 31 years for justice for Trayvon Martin. We must demand justice now.
Americans of all races have listened in horror to the 911 tapes and heard the fatal gunshot ring out
that took Trayvon Martin's life. Blacks feel particularly helpless as this clear cut crime is distorted
and complicated in the media. A pain and anger burns in our guts when we hear the suggestion that a
28-year-old armed man is claiming self defense against a defenseless teenager carrying only a bag of
Skittles and a can of iced tea.
We all wait with baited breath and hold out hope that George Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin’s killer
will be brought to justice.
So I ask, how is this case any different from the cases in the fifties or sixties when black boys and men
were gunned down like animals, while law enforcement made excuses for the atrocities? It is not
different, which makes it all the more horrifying.
The idea that anyone hearing this story would even entertain the notion that an armed gunman could
be viewed as a victim when he was the aggressor is simply unimaginable.
I am praying that justice be done and victory be won in the case of Trayvon Martin, who is a victim
of modern-day lynching. I also hope that blacks are reminded that racism in America is alive and well
and racial injustice hurts just as badly today, in 2012, as it did in 1955 and 1963.
We must continue to pray and fight for equal protection under the law.
What are your thoughts on the Trayvon Martin case? Please email feedback@eewmagazine.com.
MARCH 26, 2012 EEW MAGAZINE
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