The American Contradiction

In July 2013, President Barack Obama held a speech regarding the trial of George Zimmerman, a man who shot and killed Trayvon Martin, an African American teenager.  As expected, many citizens, especially African American people, were showing their discontent: Zimmerman was declared not guilty of murder after following, in a vehicle, and shooting, allegedly in self-defense, an unarmed teenager. On top of this tragedy, while Zimmerman started being scrutinized by the media, school suspensions and evidence of traces of THC in Martin’s body were brought up in order to vilify Martin. These events generated nationwide protests, making this case one of the most notorious and racially polarizing cases of the century, which would eventually lead to the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Obama, who did not usually speak about issues of race, decided to speak this time. Following his role as President, Obama neutrally addresses the issue. Besides offering his condolences and acknowledging the anger and discontent from the African American community, he remarks on the importance of focusing on the preventive actions that the country can carry out from this tragedy (Obama 298). As the first African-American president who comes from a middle-class family, Obama relates to the wide variety of daily situations in which the Black community is treated differently and is even represented as a threat to white people. He recognizes going through similar experiences back in the day, such as being feared by women and hearing the car doors click while walking by (Obama 298). The Florida case is an example of this situation: Zimmerman noticed a person of color in his predominantly white neighborhood, and immediately called 911, referring to Martin as “a real suspicious guy” who “is up to no good,” and taking that as a reason to follow the teenager even after the officer told him that he did not need to do that (Capehart). Obama accurately states “Somebody like Trayvon Martin was statistically more likely to be shot by a peer than he was by somebody else” (298). However, why was a Black teenager, wearing a hoodie and carrying skittles in his pocket, seen as a threat?

After slavery was abolished, most Black people were indeed condemned to segregation and poverty. De facto segregation is currently happening as a result of this legacy, and many African Americans are still trapped in neighborhoods characterized by crime, violence, lack of opportunities and low life expectancy (Krutz and Waskiewicz 156). As a result, people have, subconsciously, linked violence and crime with race. Racial bias is the outcome of the stereotype caused by the environment that was unfairly forced upon the African American community. In 2013, Black people represented almost twice the amount among the poor population than they did in the total U.S population (Gabe 6). Also, 38% of African American children were poor (Gabe 7). One of the suggestions made by Obama in his speech is to help African American children who, to change these racial issues, need to feel like they are a part of the society, and that they have multiple opportunities to succeed (299).

Racial bias has been a significant issue within the justice system. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery are just a few examples of Black people who have been murdered unjustifiably in the last two years due to the stereotype given to African Americans.  As a first way to address the problem, Obama recommends training law enforcement to reduce the racial bias and professionalize their job to decrease the mistrust in the system (298). Lamentably, events like the murder of George Floyd demonstrate that these tragedies are still occurring. Although Obama expresses that in this case, the justice system did its job, he recognizes that racial bias still operates in the application of criminal laws. Obama specifies the importance of the examination of state and local laws that can potentially motivate conflicts and calamities like the Martin case (299). As an example, Obama mentions the stand your ground laws, which authorize the use of deadly force in self-defense even if the person can avoid the situation. These laws also protect individuals from being convicted of homicide for shooting in self-defense, such as in the Florida case. It is worth wondering whether these laws are serving as a reason to get away with murder. Multiple studies revealed that after the implementation of Florida’s stand your ground law both firearm homicide rates and overall homicide rates increased significantly, as well as justifiable and unlawful homicide rates (“Stand Your Ground”). Additionally, in the majority of these cases, the assailant could have avoided the confrontation, and in most of the cases, the person killed was unarmed (“Stand Your Ground”).

Obama’s speech properly addressed a situation that, to this day, is still active. African American communities have been marginalized, often represented as dangerous individuals, condemned to a lack of opportunities, poverty, segregation, and stereotyping, all ironically as a result of the historical abuses committed against them. Racial bias and disparities are a current problem in U.S. society, which is encouraged by laws like the stand your ground laws. Obama notes his faith in the youth, expressing that “kids these days, I think, have more sense than we did back then” (299). Although Obama believes that there has been progress on race issues, he supports the need to keep working on these. A significant part of human behavior is learned, therefore, setting an example is crucial for the nation to finally become a post-racial civilization. Obama’s last recommendation is for people to do some soul-searching. Not all people are conscious of their bias, and to achieve a more equal and peaceful society, people need to ponder at what level the skin color of a person affects their opinion or judgment about this individual. The adjustment of people’s mindset along with the government’s support and intervention in creating laws that promote peace among citizens and prevent any type of violence will confidently make the “more perfect union” that Obama wishes us to become.