Feb 5, 1995 – Feb 26, 2012
Today marks the unforgettable 4 year anniversary of the murder of a son, a brother, a nephew, a friend – Trayvon Martin. Rest in heavenly power Trayvon.
Today also marks the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement. The movement has sparked the uncomfortable removal of the rose colored glasses many have chose to view race relations through in America. It has brought out the best and the worst opinions and it has captured the attention of the world.
Lastly, today marks the day Sybrina Fulton lost her baby. The strength of Ms. Fulton is nothing less than unimaginable and remarkable. Yet so many mothers and families before and unfortunately so many after have had to find the same supernatural power to live after these unthinkable tragedies.
Instead of being consumed by the injustice, Ms. Fulton channeled her grief, anger, pain, and most of all her love and began to work for the change that this country needs to have in its stereotypical views of black people. She began the Trayvon Martin Foundation. The scope of the Foundation’s mission is to advocate that crime victims and their families are not ignored in the discussions about violent crime, to increase public awareness of all forms of racial ethnic and gender profiling, educate youth on conflict resolution techniques and to reduce the incidences where confrontations between strangers turn deadly. Thank you Ms. Fulton for accepting the challenge and being a leader and example to the world of how to turn a tragedy into strategy.
The challenge for the rest of us is to face the uncomfortable conversation about race relations. The conversation must be had with empathy, sympathy, and an open heart. We must be willing to listen, respond, and act in a way that promotes understanding, change, and unity. Will you accept the challenge?
integrityzone 