How Old Are You?    

It Doesn't Matter!   

Trayvon Martin has no age, if he is an African-American male.

"I would be reluctant to call the police, because when they came I would be considered a suspect even though I was the one who made the call," my beloved brother told me years ago. I find that quite interesting because I know that my brother is one of those 

My beloved brother

naturally good people. He doesn't smoke, do drugs, use profanity, and is committed to his wife and daughter. Yet, along with so many other African-American men my brother knows there is a code of conduct for survival that they adhere to that their ethnic counterparts do not.

In the wake of Trayvon Martin's death and the hysteria surrounding it, I couldn't help but reflect on those comments my brother shared. That could have easily been my brother, my nephew, my friend, or yours as well as your son or husband. Suspicion of African-American males is not age-specific.

This is just another example that there continues to be a disparity between justice for African-Americans and justice for others. I've had conversations with young, middle-aged and older African-American men who make it a point not to be on the streets after dark. It is a safety habit for them. Not just being cautious of the criminal element that lurks, but equally cautious because they know the pigmentation of their skin can cause them to be harassed by authorizes and others as they are viewed suspiciously simply for existing.

Wow! What pressure just to be alive . . . just to be able to live life with dignity.

Trayvon experienced it. Yes, he even lost his life for it. He was only 17-years old. When we stroll through history there are so many names, some we know like Medgar Evans and Emmet Till and some we don't.

One thing is for sure, there is a cancer in America that is being neglected. As long as the racial divide is not addressed in this country, we will continue to have these vigilante-like acts of injustice waged against innocent victims. As long as this cancer is left unaided, African-American men will never be able to freely experience the American dream of life, liberty and justice for all. Regardless of their economic status or age, they are always considered suspect because of the pigmentation of their skin.

"Can't we all just get along?" Remember that question that victim Rodney King asked years ago. Yet, that question continues to loom in the horizon desperately seeking an answer. Going unanswered it resonates that we as a nation have not learned how to get along and to celebrate the differences that make us one.

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