(Posted on Newstaco.com)
Dear Geraldo,
A three-piece suit and a tie would not have saved Trayvon Martin’s life. Urging Black and Latino parents to “not let their children go out wearing hoodies” and saying that the 17-year-old’s hoodie holds as much culpability as the murderer who snuffed out his life is a dangerous line of thought. Trayvon’s hoodie did not end his life, George Zimmerman did. Wearing a hoodie is not a crime, shooting an innocent person is. Trayvon Martin is dead, George Zimmerman walks.
Refusing to call racism by its rightful name allows it to continue unchecked. Let’s call it what it is. Trayvon was killed because George Zimmerman thought his skin color made him “suspicious,” not his hoodie. Trayvon’s attire did not identify him as a threat, or a criminal. Saying that Trayvon was murdered because of his wardrobe choice, puts the onus on him. You are saying that Trayvon is responsible for George Zimmerman’s decision to aim a gun at the teenager’s chest and pull the trigger.
Frankly, I’m not surprised at your comments. I’ve met your kind before. Growing up, my parents taught me that being Black meant it was not good enough to just be “good enough.” I had to be exceptional, overcompensate with intelligence, charm, and a pleasant appearance to combat society’s preconceived notions of people of color. I excelled academically, honed my interpersonal skills, and dressed professionally at every turn to defy the gross stereotypes that would prove to still cloud others’ view of me. Despite all of this, to people who abide by the false constructs of racism and its byproducts, I was still deemed unworthy of the values this country boasts, whether I wore a suit or sweats.
See, Geraldo, it’s not the clothes that matter; it’s the skin that lies underneath that has inherited hundreds of years of legalized discrimination that makes me an object of hate in this country. It’s the same skin that allows you to excuse the murder of an innocent teenager because he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt. It’s the same skin that makes every person of color a possible “threat” to society. It’s the same skin that apparently makes some children’s lives worth less than others.
Signed,
Jackeline
Click here to sign the Change.org petition for justice for Trayvon Martin.
A*cute 
Trayvon Martin’s death was utterly preventable.
http://hammerheadcombatsystems.org/2012/03/24/the-discretionary-mindset/
I take a different stance. Quite honestly, I don’t take issue with what Geraldo Rivera said. Actually, he was doing young Black men America-wide a solid. What these “hoods on the head” represent in the larger scope of things is a “looming threat”, a “menace presence”, a “predator” if you will. Usually, predators like to conceal their identity, in this particular instance, the roles were reversed, the predator made his presence known in more ways than one. And let’s face it, to state that this Zimmerman had issues is an understatement, nevertheless this is the society that we live in. And to that end, Black men from the very beginning of American society have been seen and are continued to be portrayed as “predatory”, “menacing”, pariahs of impending and looming doom. And despite being equipped with all of this information, Black men still continue to put themselves in harm’s way and represent themselves in such a “menacing” fashion. All Geraldo Rivera was saying is stop making yourself a target young (and for that matter, older) Black men! Stop making it so darn easy for the worst to happen and continually happen! When do you begin to realize that what you insist on doing is not just harming you, it is literally killing you? The other point that I believe Geraldo to have been making is…look, with that hood on your head, how could Zimmerman (or his breed) tell the difference between “good” or “bad” Trayvon? With that hood on, you all look alike. And that’s pretty much to the effect of what this Zimmerman dude was saying according to neighbor testimonials and the 911 dispatcher recording. It’s time for Black people especially to protect themselves from harm and stop pretending that we live in a non-racist America, and world for that matter. Whether or not Blacks want to face it, race keeps slapping you in the face. What actions will Blacks take after the marching and protesting stops and Trayvon is finally laid to rest? And no, wearing a suit won’t save Black men either. We all see the blatant disrespect the President of the United States is subjected to (so much for unification). And for the record the attacks are not by Black people. And let’s not negate that since the announcement of the President’s nomination, he’s been receiving death threats on an almost daily basis. This is the America that Black people live in. But electing Barack Obama was supposed to get rid of all of this, right? And America is “post-racial” correct? Tell that to this Zimmerman dude and his kind. Black people need to have a bit more consciousness and humility when someone is attempting to tell you something for your own good. Life saving, actually.