ROLAND S. MARTIN: Report For Duty. This Is A War On Racism, Bigotry & Stereotypes … This Is For Trayvon (VIDEO)

Whether we want to admit it or not, Trayvon Martin could be any of us. It doesn’t matter about our degrees. Our fine, tailored suits don’t matter. We’ve made all of the accommodations to fit into this society. We’ve cut our hair. We’re careful about the clothes we wear. We change the way we talk so as not to sound threatening. We’ve got our master’s, our Ph.D.’s. We’re fine, upstanding citizens. Yet, we still are seen as suspicious — and in the case of Trayvon Martin, end up dead.

The national outcry over this senseless tragedy has galvanized African-Americans and others in a way that we haven’t seen in some time. Some say this is this generation’s Emmett Till. Time will only tell if that’s the case.

But what we do know is that we are sick and tired of being seen as suspicious. We’re sick of tired of being seen as a stereotype and not as full human beings. We’re sick and tired of having to give our Black boys “The Talk” and still having to bury them so young.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are sick and tired of being sick and tired.

For those of you who continue to tout this so-called “post-racial America,” look at this photo. This is Trayvon Martin. You tell him in the age of Obama that is a post-racial America. You tell his parents, Tracy and Sybrina, that their son was judged by the content of his character and not the color of his skin.

America, no more. We will no longer accommodate your easily bruised feelings by clenching our teeth and praying it will all get better. No more. What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now. If you think for a moment that we will be satisfied with a police chief stepping down or press releases expressing outrage, you have another thing coming.

This, folks, is war. This is war on racism. This is war on bigotry. This is war on stereotypes. This is a call to arms. This is time for the soldiers in the battle for social justice to stand up and say, “I report for duty, sir.”

This is for Trayvon and the many other nameless, faceless Trayvons out there.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
ADVERTISEMENT

Tags:

Follow Roland Martin Reports on Twitter

Follow Roland S. Martin's Timeline On Facebook

Get Roland Martin Reports in your inbox!
Sign up for Roland Martin Reports Daily News Update powered by FeedBurner

Related Posts

  • Oneamerican

    As an African American Father having long fought for integration as opposed to assimilation and having viewed the change in our values over the last 50 years.

    I feel I have to say no matter how tragic this is, it goes to the argument against Ebonics Saggy jeans, hood rats, Tattoos and a whole host of behaviors that we know are stereotyped and we have unsuccessfully fought against for years.

    I feel it should drive home a message to our youth that this type of behavior and dress invites trouble.  If you dress in a manner perceived as threatening expect problems.

    You cannot legislate FEAR.

    This is awful and yes we need to re energize the movement.  But this is not the straw breaker, this is a botched investigation. Kids make sure you get a brown bag when you leave the store with a receipt and carry yourself like Jesse Jackson said at the top of his voice “I AM SOMEBODY”

  • Violater4

    So Roland Martin is now part of the New Black Panther party? A call to Arms? So violence begat violence? Sounds to me like u want more bloodshed Roland

  • http://www.facebook.com/Pharaoh.Sco Pharaoh Sco

          Intergration? Good luck with that; thats slave dreams,  I want my own.  I care less to win an Oscar or to walk down white america’s red carpet.  I rather have my own. I go to the gas station in my community not greeted by Mr. Johnson or Old man Pap behind the register but Muhammed,  Ali Vushiek or something. Growing up learning of Columbus, or Cortez and the Spainards,  Amerigo Vespucci , but never of the Moors, the Nubians etc….

         Liquor stores, pawn shops,  McDonald, KFC everywhere. But when we build as a community, take The Massacre of Oklahoma(Black Wallstreet AKA Lil’ Africa), it shows some are not sincere about the problems we as African Americans face but are in fact undercover supporters and orchestrators of the current course which is the destruction of Blacks in America

    • Oneamerican

      Mr. Sco,
      Slaves Assimilate.  Free Men Integrate.  You learned of your History, but what have you done to formalize your history.  You complain of the road of assimilation yet do nothing to alter it through integration.  I trust this provides greater clarity of my statement.

      When we sought Affirmative Action Laws, it was based on behavior.  We did not care what existed in the White Mans Heart, it was through laws we could change his behavior.

      You cannot legislate fear.  In the 70′ there were sensitivity consultants in Corporate America to bring together Blacks and Whites. They were paid big money to teach executives that a Electra 225 was a deuce and a quarter.

      This is different.  I like the fact that the hoods dress differently then the rest of us.  It tells you who to stay away from. Talking about the 60′ argument of dress code assimilation such as that portrayed in “The Spook who sat behind the door” is invalid.

      If you dress and posture in a threatening manner, you attract trouble.   It will always be that way.  Find another way to be different that invokes a positive response.  Isn’t that what you want?

      This is terrible and unfortunate but I was raised to be twice as good as my competition in all things and we all as a people need to return to that. “The Double Standard is what made African Americans Great”.  This is a Hip Hop Image problem, let Hip Hop fix it.  We have allowed the same people who created videos degrading our women, be responsible for the image of the dress code of our youth.  Bad Idea. We didn’t see the problem, now we do. We all need to admit it step up and fix it.

      There is a lot more to being a hood rat then wearing a hoodie and a wise person in a
      strange neighborhood checks their demeanor for the image they wish to portray.  This was horrible but there is a much bigger message here.

  • Kameelah24

    @Oneamerican …..I would have to disagree with you…..for you to make the assumption that how a person dresses invites trouble goes to show either your lack of understanding or just plain ignorances. Wearing a hoodie has nothing what’s so ever to do with that young man losing his life. So what if he had on a hoodie …everyone wears them but that doesn’t mean you have the right to judge someone in a negative light because of it. The bottom line is that rather we want to admit it or like it racism is still a live and going on…if your “white” your alright and if your black and especially a black male than you are everything negative. Just look at how they treat and speak of our President and he dresses in a shirt and tie practically everyday. So Roland is right its time to pull together as one and stop being afraid and allowing others to dictate our fate and dictate who we are and who we should become.

    • Oneamerican

      Kameelah, given the emotional charge of this situation, it is my intention to be perfectly clear. This was horrible and deserves national attention, but for justice.

      JUSTICE TO  TRAYVON MARTINS FAMILY!!!

      I have been on the cutting edge of Civil Rights all my life. It is in my DNA at every generational level. I am holding my powder on this one,  but I have rought the rifle out of the closet and I’m cleaning it so to speak because change is in the Air.

      I also will not let the Global Elite spot light a devisive Homicide Case and pull our collective attention away from Global Enslavement and destruction of the American Economic System.

      A kid was shot by a racist wanna be cop.  The police flubbed the investigation.  The President stepped to the plate.  Good Enough for now, but I’m still gonna clean old betsy just in case, because change is in the air.

      In the meantime, I prefer silk suits and Levis, so I am far from getting involved in a fight at this level but the chess game was re commenced and the pieces have yet to be labeled.

      P.S.  The President is married to an African American, but he is not one of us. African Americans are desended from Slaves that were free by the Emancipation Proclomation.  All others are Black Americans.  It is the difference between Stakeholders and Shareholders and you need to understand the difference.  It is a fine but important distinction. Like I said, the Chess Game has re commenced.

WP-Backgrounds Lite by InoPlugs Web Design and Juwelier Schönmann 1010 Wien