I watched in shock as a young black woman at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) became violent in class during a discussion on the death of the late Trayvon Martin. The student cursed at her classmates and eventually attacked people in the room. Jonatha Carr, a 24-year-old student who may have trouble getting back into school, was eventually hauled out of the classroom and put in the back of a squad car.
As I sit here in Florida writing this article, I am noticing that racial tensions are as hot as the sun outside, as the black community in Florida has been long sick of the double standards of justice that exist within the boundaries of their state and so many others. The student's outburst concerns me, for it is both a symptom and accelerator of the rage being felt by millions of Americans right now.
If Jonatha were my daughter, I'd probably be upset with her right now. Her actions will likely jeopardize her future and serve as a stain on her record. But I'd be lying like a dog if I didn't admit that nearly every black person in America could not relate to at least a piece of the anger being expressed by this young woman.
America is a country where black folks have long been subjected to the polite oppression by those who feel they have the right to keep a systematic foot on the back of all of our necks. This goes for the black man who goes to work knowing that he'll never get the same opportunities as white guy down the hall, the professor who was denied tenure because her white colleagues felt that she was not "scholarly enough" or the little black boy being punished in class by a white teacher who interprets nearly every action in the most negative way imaginable. While none of these examples are as traumatic as Trayvon's death, the painful death of our hopes and dreams as a result of racial oppression is enough to make some of us lose it.
The fact is that Trayvon's death strikes a chord in all of us, for we each understand the penalties that can come with being black and having the audacity to think that you can have the same rights and liberties as every other American around you. We are taught from birth that the rules are different for us, and the stress from dealing with this double standard can be overwhelming. Coping with racism is a skill that takes years to develop, and when it's all said and done, you've simply morphed yourself into half of what you were before.
When I had my one conversation with Tyler Perry, I remember discussing how racism can cause mental illness. The mental illness created by racial oppression plays role in multi-generational cycles of abuse, addiction and depression, as people find a way to manage the fact that they are forced to live by a different set of rules, solely because of the color of their skin.
I don't excuse what Jonatha did, and she should be punished. But punishing Jonatha without pursuing justice against the man who killed Trayvon Martin is yet another reminder of the polite oppression we've been forced to endure for the last 400 years. It's time for something to change, and it's time for that change to come by any means necessary.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your email, please click here.
Follow Dr. Boyce Watkins on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrBoyceWatkins1
Charles Howard: Will Trayvon Martin Be Mentioned in Your Congregation This Weekend?
I can bet you not a single one. Far, far too many students sit in class today, do not take notes, are on their cell phones, pads, and laptops, texting, playing games, on facebook and are not paying attention.
This young lady was sitting right in front of the professor, so obviously she heard "something" which prompted her question and perhaps her outburst. Context is just as important if not more important than content!!!
Last I checked Trayvon Martin knocked a man down and was repeatedly slamming his head into the sidewalk when he was shot.
Clearly shooting him was wrong; so letting a black man beat a white man is the only acceptable answer for a Syracuse University Professor?
So how many times do I have to let you slam my head into a sidewalk before I'm allowed to defend myself without being racist? Is there a limit, or do I need to allow myself to be beaten to death if that is what you want and any defense is racist?
If my choices are being beaten to death, or being a horrible racist... I'll go with racist; but thanks for giving me the option of being beaten to death instead.
I'll keep that in mid if I decide I don't want to be racist later; I just need to let myself be beaten to death and you'll allow that maybe I'm not a racist if that happens.
good to know.
Blacks have to stop playing the race card, work hard like everyone else and stop blaming the rest of the world for your own ignorance and lack of motivation! We don't owe you anything!
At NO time did they explain that she got angry in a discussion about Trayvon.
They just portrayed her as a mentally unstable student. I hope she goes back to college to pursue her dream.
We have every reason to get angry and scream. Enough is enough. We're sick and tired of being sick and tired.
How many centuries have the descendants of African slaves endured abuse on this continent how much more can we be expected to endure? God have mercy on us all!
And in response to Dr. Watkins, you "probably" would be upset with your daughter if she spewed racial hatred while striking one classmate and threatening the lives of numerous others? I'd hate to see your threshold for things that would "definitely" upset you.
The narrative that Trayon was a sweet, innocent bystander killed because of his skin color is getting holes punched in it left and right. Zimmerman even has black friends that are coming to his defense saying that they have no reason to believe he's a racist.
This mob mentality calling for Zimmerman's head without knowing the full story has been incredibly shocking - and disturbing.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/report-says-police-reveal-details-of-george-zimmermans-account-of-trayvon/1222087
At minimum, Zimmerman used excessive force and deserves manslaughter. And if Florida law now allows him to murder people, then the citizens of Florida have an even larger problem.
The discussion going on in class prior to this young woman's breakdown was not about Trayvon Martin. It was about evolution and peacocks.
Unless you're trying to say that peacocks had something to do with the death of Trayvon Martin attemtpting to tie the two incidents together is ham fisted at best.
Despite the racial difference between the shooter and the decedent, there were no allegations of racial bias. Scott was not charged with a hate crime. There was no Federal civil rights investigation. There were no white protests. The case was settled for what it was: a tragedy caused by a series of poor decisions on behalf of the shooter, and a split-second decision that will forever be second-guessed.