Trayvon Martin was a child shot during an altercation with a
neighborhood watch man. Controversy surrounded the case, as the child was
African American. The prosecutor and defense attorney for George Zimmerman made
cases. The verdict was not guilty. For many students this will cause elevated
tension where race is involved because the role race played in this case and
the media attention. This could cause tension in the classroom. I believe it
can be nipped in the bud.
On a rainy February night, Trayvon Martin was walking
through his neighborhood on his way home from the corner store. George Zimmerman,
an armed neighborhood watch man, saw Martin walking and followed him. Zimmerman
called the police to report he saw someone suspicious in the neighborhood. The
dispatcher instructed Zimmerman not to follow Martin. Zimmerman continued to
follow which led to an altercation that left an unarmed boy dead. This tragedy
made George Zimmerman the focus of those looking at civil rights and gun laws.
Florida state law allows you to use any force necessary to defend yourself when
you feel like your life is in danger. My opinion is no force would have been
necessary had he followed the advice of the dispatcher and stayed in his car.
There has been a comparison to the senseless killing of Emmett Till. Emmett was
a 14-year-old boy who was tortured, disfigured and murdered for supposedly
flirting with a white girl in 1955 in Mississippi. There is no doubt anger and
outrage will follow this case straight into history. The not guilty verdict has
reinforced in the minds of African Americans across the country that the justice
system has no regard or justice for them.
In the classroom, there should be an open discussion about
diversity and racial profiling. Teachers must choose to discuss this case
openly for the benefit of the students. It will be the topic on kids’ minds everywhere.
The tension among the students could be
elevated. I believe there needs to be a safe venue for the students to express
their feelings about the case. Journaling would be a great way to allow the
students to vent without making them the target of children with differing
opinions. There was clear profiling on both sides in this case. Martin assumed
Zimmerman was up to no good because Zimmerman was following him that had Martin
defensive. Zimmerman assumed Martin was up to no good because Martin was wearing
a hooded sweatshirt and walking through the predominately-white neighborhood at
night. There would be no case without the bias in the minds of these two
people. In addition to talking in the classroom about diversity and profiling,
there should be a discussion about the individual’s role in this case. The
teacher can help manage her classrooms behavior and attitudes by being
proactive rather than reactive. The teacher can establish positive teacher
student relationships by truly understanding and relating to the attitudes and
feelings of the students and their differing opinions. A classroom is a
community, a family and should be treated as such. This will help our students
feel like they belong and are safe in the learning environment.
This case has made
history. Sadly, most people will forget this ever happened within a few years. Most
likely, African Americans will never forget this event. It was tragic and
senseless taking of a young man’s life. In America, we have a right to bear
arms. On the other hand, we do not have the right to use weapons to harass and
kill someone walking through the neighborhood because we have a biased opinion
of them. In addition, we do not have the right to assume the intentions of
others based on our opinion of their skin tone and what we have been programmed
to think about it. In conclusion, I feel Americans have not advanced our thinking
where diversity is involved. We as educators must ensure that our students feel
safe in our classrooms and the best way to ensure that is by being firm, fair
and consistent always ensuring we are empathetic and understanding of our
students feelings and opinions. The same way we would in our home environment.
References
ALCINDOR, Y. of USA TODAY (2013) DesMoines Register. Retrieved July 13,
2013 , from
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/viewart/20130714/NEWS/307140066/Jury-Zimmerman-not-guilty-teen-s-death
