In Defense of Race Relations in America Part 4

The first part of this series began in November of 2008.  In it, we called for a change of racist attitude and behaviour of the Cable Network News, CNN towards other nations, their leaders, and their people. The second part published in September of 2012 called on the citizens of the United States to call a spade a spade in the then political climate that has continued non-stopped to this August day, 11, 2013 in the country.  The edition in reference at that time described all the acrimonies, of lies, divisiveness, and all sorts of blackmails, deceptions, and slanders coupled with disrespect to the President of the United States, Barack Obama and his Office, the White House, as nothing less but racism.  The Concerns of Part III in the series was the descriptions of the outcome by some Rightwing political observers of the Presidential Debates between President Barack Obama and Mr. Mitt Romney who eventually lost that election woefully to the appreciation of the overwhelming majority of the citizens of the United States.    The Edition also dealt with the awful conduct and attitude of Governor Romney towards the President, during the second of those debates and the comments of some Right-wing media observers and the general feelings and comments of the public.

 

In this Part IV edition we would attempt to further stretch the urgent need for a more harmonious human racial-relations, political and economic prosperity in the country.  And in this series we would also want to express the disappointment of the helpless majority of citizens of this great country over the George Zimmerman murder trial and its adjudged acquittal.  

To begin with, it is sad to state that racism and racists have not allowed the welfare of this nation to progress on the political front; it has become a bane on the growth of the economy of the Union in spite of the great effort of the Obama Administration.  People are hurting from the wickedness of a few ignoramuses. Many citizens are still out of work due to spending cuts in programs and services advocated by Republicans and there is no money in circulation in the country.  How can we grow the economy if people have no jobs and have no money to spend?  The Republican prescription for America is similar to IMF/World Bank prescription for developing countries some years ago.  This was how social and economic life in many societies in developing countries in Africa was destroyed in the 1980s with IMF conditionalities that recommended the retrenchment of workers to cut government spending.  It is ignorance and wicked to watch citizens suffer where they should not. It is a right to live a decent life.  The cabal behind the gridlock is proud to call themselves “master” of political gridlock in Washington, D.C.  The Healthcare Law enacted by Congress in the interest of the citizens’ welfare and wellbeing, its legitimacy validated by the Supreme Court of the land, has been voted to be repealed by the cabal for the 41^st times since enactment.   Could this have happened if someone looking different from President Barrack Obama had been the one in the White House?  The answer is NO.  There is more to it than meet the eyes.  It is more than because it is a Democrat that is occupying the White House hence the recent continuous acrimonious hostility against the White House and the First Family occupying the House.  Therefore, it is racism, pure and simple. Let us all speak up and call a spade a spade; it is wrong to call a dog a bad name to hang it.  Our conscience tells us that what is happening in the nation’s body politics in the guise of politics is not all political, but hatred that can only come from racial animosity and hatred for no good or just reason.  All the uncivilized activities of the Republican Party cabal and a section of the country’s Media against the Obama Administration and whatever achievement made by the Administration are racially motivated.  The Republican Party cabal and this section of the Press do not want credit to go to the African personality in the White House, hence the blockade on all the progressive programs and pronouncements of Mr. President, irrespective of the fact that Barrack Obama is an effective President of the US and he is doing what he was given a great mandate to do for the American people.  Whether the cabal agrees or not, President Barack H. Obama’s legacy shall be marked indelible in the annals of American political history.

To further buttress our reason to call for urgent improved race relations in America, allow us to reexamine the George Zimmerman murder trial and his acquittal that shocked the sensibility of the world.  According to several reports, George Zimmerman called the Seminole County Police of the State of Florida late evening of February 26, 2012.  He reported to the Police that he saw a suspicious Black boy in the neighborhood.  The African American boy was Trayvon Martin, a Black American of African descent.  Zimmerman is a White American of Germanic descent judging from the name “Zimmerman.” Although George Zimmerman claimed to be Hispanic, but one is not sure because as reported, it is the mother who is said to be of Hispanic origin. Why the lies?  Reports and evidence state that George Zimmerman was told by the Police to not follow the Black boy.  However, George Zimmerman, a neighborhood-watch in Seminole who was driving set aside police order, and stopped his car, came out, and followed Trayvon.  He caught up with the Black boy who was on the telephone with his girl friend telling her that a man was following him.  According to the testimony, the telephone went dead on Trayvon’s girl friend’s ear as Zimmerman expectedly and undoubtedly attacked Trayvon throwing him to the ground.  Trayvon Martin was 16 plus years old weighing about 96 to 100 lbs looking at all his pictures on the television, and George Zimmerman is 28 plus years old and weighs about 200 to 300 lbs as his stature betrays of him in all the pictures of him that appeared on the television.  

Analytically, base on various reports, while Zimmerman was on Trayvon, a scared and terrified boy cried out for help.  In the midst of the yelling for help, a gunshot rang out and the yelling stopped after the gunshot.  Trayvon was shot in the chest and died instantly on the spot.  A neighbor who heard the cry for help called the Police, and a sound of gunshot followed while the caller and Police dispatcher were still on talking.  Police arrived at the scene and met Trayvon lay dead on his back, face up with his both arms at stretched.  Trayvon only had on a hoody and some candies he went to the nearby store to buy.  George Zimmerman told the police that he shot Trayvon in self defense.  He was asked that night if he knew about Florida’s “Stand-Your-Ground” Law, and he said he knew nothing about the law.  Stand-Your-Ground Law means that every Floridian has the right to fight back if they feel their life was threatened but Trayvon whose life was threatened had had no gun on him.  George Zimmerman whose father is reported to be a court Judge in Florida was taken to the Seminole County Police Station for interrogation and released the same night without arrest or charged.   On that night, as video report on CNN showed when George was being taken to the Police Station for interrogation, there were no visible signs of injury on the head or face of George Zimmerman as was later displayed on Television to the World during the murder trial. George Zimmerman only saw his family doctor after the so-called brawl with Trayvon.  It took over two months, and upon public outcry and protests in many cities in the United States before Zimmerman was arrested, charged, and convicted on a charge of second degree murder.  A jury of 5 White women and one minority Mexican young mother acquitted George Zimmerman of murder.  The young Mexican female had now confessed that she is the one juror who was convinced, based on everything that happened during the encounter, except for the Florida Law, that Georgia Zimmerman was guilty of murder. She said, “George Zimmerman got away with murder, but you can’t get away from God.”

The George Zimmerman murder trial was a case of extra-judicial-killing by a racist judicial system in which an African American youth in the same system has no right to stand his own ground or be protected by the same law that protected a White man in the same state.  Sane and fair minds will agree that it was Trayvon Martin who’s right to live and freedom to move freely that Zimmerman violated, and it was Martin who qualified to stand his ground to defend himself.   Yet, it became that the pursuer was the one who became the pursued in the eye of the Florida law.  How else do we explain it when the prosecution of the case was carried out by the same Florida Judiciary that is well aware of its Stand-Your-Ground Law?  The State stage managed the acquittal right from the word go. As a result of the Stand-Your-Ground law, George was not arrested immediately after he was known to have shot and killed an unarmed youth at will in Stanford that night; it was after two months before the murderer was indicted and charged for 2^nd degree murder.  A jury of five White women with one minority Mexican was appointed to try the case.  One of the five White women was reported to have never had a child to know the pain of childbirth and what it means to lose a child.  There was no male or Black person in the jury.  How else could such a jury return a verdict of guilty to a White man in such a prejudicial jury?  The Prosecutor either by omission or commission was part of the racial game.  Why did the prosecutor omitted the race issue from the case when it was out of racial prejudice that led Zimmerman from the word go to pursue Trayvon who had committed no known wrong doing before he was shot dead by Zimmerman?  The prosecutor failed to counter the bogus display by the defense of a dummy/manikin that showed purportedly, how Trayvon was slamming George Zimmerman to the ground when in fact, it could have definitely been impossible for a skinny Trayvon to have had the strength to fall George and lift him a 300 lbs George and hitting him to the ground repeatedly.  In his final rebuttal to the defense’s final submissions, the prosecutor told the jurors to use their common sense in deciding a case that was being challenged on the legality of Florida’s Stay Your Ground Law.  The women left and based their decision on the prejudicial law that was probably meant to control Blacks and other minorities in Florida.  The only minority juror who had now confessed said that she followed “Stand your ground Law” as it was read to them as the guideline they must follow in the jury’s deliberation, and she voted to acquit even when she knew ordinarily that Zimmerman was guilty of murderer. 

It was; and it still is, a misconceived notion for anyone to suggest that race was not a factor in the Trayvon Martin’s murder, in the trial of the case, and in its final outcome.  When the murder case became public, opinions were divided between the Whites and African Americans.  The Whites saw it as a non-racial event and they agreed with Zimmerman that he was defending himself.  The African Americans saw Trayvon’s murder as the continued killings of Black youths at will by Whites.  There were several debates between notable African American Radio, TV commentators, and Talk-show hosts, and the Whites Radio, TV commentators, and Talk-show hosts.  They were always poles apart with the Blacks supporting Trayvon while the Whites supported George Zimmerman in those debates.  Conservative Rightwing commentators could not see how Zimmerman could be found guilty when he was defending himself in the so-called “fight” that was supposed to have ensued between Travon and George.  

This clearly is showing that the state of race of relations in America could be better than what it is.  People are not truthful to themselves.  Take for example:  In America today, it is a known fact that it is more difficult and expensive to adopt a White child than what it takes to adopt an African American child.  Could there be a notion that a White child is better than a Black child; is human being or is life not the same? Is it not racism and discrimination to think that one child is better than another child of the same human family?

            Taking cue from all of these events is a vindicated assertion that all is not well with America in matters pertaining to race relations in America. When one looks at the political terrain of President Barack Obama, it is so glaring that his race is his problem.  He is not White.  To the Rightwing, he does not belong to the White House no matter what good he has done and what he plans on doing to rescue America from the social inequity and socio-economic doldrums brought about by the administration before his time in office.  A section of Congress led by Mitch McConnell is blocking many avenues to prevent President Barack Obama from governing the nation to the extent that services and programs meant to alleviate the sufferings of the people are cut.  The affordable Healthcare Law has been “repealed” for over 40 times by McConnell’s cabal.  Mitch McConnell was asked what will he say are his achievements in this Congress.  He replied that he will be glad to say that he succeeded in repealing “Obama care.”  This is the affordable Healthcare Law that has been validated by the Supreme Court, the highest Court in the land.  Many Americans have no health insurance; and it is a law that allows parents to keep their children in their policies until they are 26 years of age.  Is this not a great relief to the nation? Could there be any other reason other than insanity for any person to fight for the repeal of such law?

 There is need for a change in the current relations between all the citizens. The change must be quick and total.  Change is the only permanent thing in our world; every other thing moves except change.  White America must reconsider its position on race.  Humanity is one, and man, meaning Homo erectus is a dynamic agent of the All Knowing and All Seeing Father of us all.  The days of the cotton picker boy or girl are over.  There is a Yoruba adage which says that “Omo odor mbo wa do ga,” meaning that a servant shall become a master.  African Americans, like other minorities in America have paid their dues.  The achievements and progress that brought America to where it is today could be attributable to the blood and sweat shed by African Americans on this soil. They do not deserve to shed further as a result of discrimination and racism by those who hate abundant life for all peoples.  America is a melting pot of humanity and their ideas.  To feel superior to another human based on looks, appearance, and perception of the other person, is a sign of inferiority complex based on wickedness that has its roots in ignorance.

God Bless the United States of America.

Omoh T. Ojior is a Professor of Political Science