Rhetoric Race and Religion
By Elizabeth F.Desnoyers-Colas
These bomb shells coupled with a racially raucous “let’s meet the candidates” student town hall meeting where these postings were discussed and brought to further light to an even larger number of students, made the panel’s task all the more critical. The panelists’ poignant comments and observations began by centering on the senseless deaths and collective tragic aftermaths surrounding the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis. Both the panel and the audience knew that the greatest challenge would be showing a ballroom full of millennia generation African-American men how to delicately balance racial pride and cultural identity amidst growing postmodern white majority societal hostility and disdain against the African Diaspora. What followed these remarks on March 11th over the next two hours was a frank, revealing dialogue that stripped away the illusion of post racial harmony and the confining pretense of politically correct rhetoric.
First, audience members were surprised to find out that other states have their own version of the Stand Your Ground Law; Georgia is one of them. Ironically African Americans in these states (including Florida) have benefited from these types of laws, especially when used protect their property and families. The problem with similar versions of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law has been an indiscriminate, illegal application and interpretation by the Zimmermans and Dunns of the nation who according to actor Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy) feel they have the legal right to “minimize the black body.” It is this type of minimization panelists posited that allows members of the majority race (and those who readily identify with it like White Hispanic George Zimmerman) to shoot into a vanload of African American children who chose to play rap music instead of Hank Williams Jr. Added to this minimization of the black body is White America’s growing disenchantment with shouldering any sort of blame for past or present acts of racism. Fueling this disenchantment is Bill Reilly/Rush Limbaugh style non sequitur ranting, placing the endangerment of young black males solely on the influence of “thuggish” hip hop lifestyle and gratuitous inner city gang violence. Right Wing conservatives frequently cite these two media Tea Party demigods when invoking their own God given rights to protect themselves by whatever means they deem necessary from the perceived evils and dangers of African Americans, especially the male gender.
Secondly, the panelists unanimously found the national media’s and music industry’s obsession and fascination with the negative imagery of African American cultural extremes and excesses helped to reinforce the whites fear of African American males. Reality TV shows, misogynistic and black on black content laden music videos, movies and even local news portrayals of black males posing menacingly while handcuffed in courts all play into the “young black man as “dangerous thug” persona. Young African American males need to define their own image and culture and not buy into or be boxed in by stereotypical ones that could put their lives in harm’s way. Focus on designing and showcasing imagery of strong ideals and principles that makes young African American maleness uniquely positive and worth emulating, panelists urged the audience. Get the education that Trayvon and Jordan were denied and use it to help generations of other black males avoid their same fate.
Finally, the panelists closed by offering some common sense but essential advice. Know, understand and obey state and national laws as they pertain to you, especially your constitutional rights. If a law is determined to be unjust, discriminatory, work with others to get it repealed. Continue to fight against injustice; let there be no more Trayvon Martins and Jordan Davis’ on your watch. Even though America may be suffering from equal rights compassion fatigue and appears to be unwilling to hear more about the endangerment of young African American males, keep raising your voice and make them listen. America depends on you to do it.
The panel was a campus success on many levels but is most important impact may have materialized at the end of that week when the final results of the student body’s election for president were announced. With a record turnout of student voters to the polls, the African American male candidate won with a landslide victory. I can’t help but to think that somewhere in the heavens Emmitt, Trayvon and Jordan chest and fist bumped each other, celebrating that on the south side of Savannah their untimely deaths will always be remembered and not be in vain.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In