Black Is-Youz...

TREYVON MARTIN... AN HONEST OPINION...

Before I share my thoughts I would like to send out my prayers and condolences to the entire family. Being a resident of Florida, I am very upset with the outcome of this whole situation, but at the same time let’s be honest with one another, just for a moment. As a parent, and a man who use to be a child on the streets of Jersey City, NJ, I was always told by my mother to stop dressing like a thug. If you look like one, they are going to treat you like one. I am a black man who feels like we have to carry ourselves better than what we are doing. (To everyone who is reading this, this is not to say that he deserved to be shot, and Zimmerman should not be punished to the fullest extent.) What I am saying is that we as a people have to become stronger and we need to go back to the days where parents never allowed their children to carry themselves in a certain way. My mother would not let me where "bomber jackets" at one point and time in my life because kids were being shot for them. I did not where "Jordan sneakers" because kids were being shot for them. I didn't wear a whole bunch of jewelry because kids were being shot for that as well. Unfortunately protecting our children has to go farther than just the household. I spent some time in SC, and one of the first things I noticed, way before the shooting is that in some stores signs read, "No Shirts, No Shoes, No Hoodies, NO SERVICE...." And this is not just white owned stores, its black owned, and everyone else. Hoodies have always been threatening to most people. What happened is from the actions of a man, who may or may have not had a thing against black people. But that is solely on his actions, not what he was wearing, because not everyone thinks that way. However if you approach me and you are wearing jeans two-three sizes too big, pants hanging to your ass, and a hoodie on that may be covering your face as well I may be a little fearful myself. We have to protect our children, and teach them how to dress, speak, and carry themselves, because the bottom line is as a black man we are targets already. We are too easily judged by what we wear, how we speak, how we dress, what we drive, what neighborhoods we walk in, so is it better to know this and never do anything or become stronger as a people and not just for the moment. There are many who wear hoodies for the wrong reason, so if you are not wearing it for that reason then maybe it’s better to just not wear one. This world has been based on judgements and false accusations, but we as a black people should know this more than anything. As a parent you have to watch it all and correct it all, the music, the clothes, the appearance, the way we speak, where we hang out, what we drive, who we hang with, and so much more. War is not just in other countries, its right here in our own backyards. But understand this, our kids are shot and killed every day, unfortunately we are the main ones killing our own, so where are the videos for that, where are the songs speaking of that... If we glorify violence in music, movies, television, and so much more, we are only spinning that right back upon ourselves. UNITING FOR A CAUSE CAN NOT BE FOR THE MOMENT, IT HAS TO BE FOREVER...