On Raising Black Boys

I've been thinking a lot about the Trayvon Martin case and I am shaken to my core. I've always been a pretty compassionate person, but when you become a mother, I think, you become especially sensitive to all things involving children. When I hear about something terrible involving a child now I become sad and angry. For a split second that child becomes my child and something rises up in me because I imagine what if that had been Ryan and Evan.

Such is the case with Trayvon Martin.

This is our family's little blog. I'm not (nor do I want to be) one of the popular mommy bloggers who get thousands of hits per day and too many comments to read. I'm just 2Peasmama who wants to update her family and friends scattered all across everywhere with pictures and updates about two of the most adorable boys in the world. But, I want to write about this today because I want to remember Trayvon Martin and I want to learn from this case because I am left with a question. How do I keep my two black boys safe in this world?

"He doesn't look right."
"He's definitely up to something."
"He's on drugs."
"He's a black male."

These were some of the words of George Zimmerman, then man who shot Trayvon Martin to death as he attempted to walk back to the house where he was staying. It turns out that Trayvon was just a 17 year old kid with a pack of Skittles and a bottle of iced tea who was trying to make it back home to watch a basketball game. He was none of the things that he was perceived to be. According to those who knew him, he was a good kid. Had never been in trouble with the law, and had never even been in a fight at school. He had a mom and dad who loved him. And now he's dead. So far, the man responsible has not even been arrested.

This case did something to me. I am outraged and sad. And I'm scared. Scared that words like these:
"He doesn't look right."
"He's definitely up to something."
"He's on drugs."
may one day be said about my children just because they're:
"...a black male."

And there isn't anything I can do about it.

We can raise our boys right, have a two parent household, take them to church, teach them to say yes m'am and no sir, teach them how to say please and thank you, teach them that they must be respectful to all people, provide them a good life, send them to private school, live in a gated community and they can still be taken away from us because of someone's perception of them solely based upon the color of their skin.

If my boys were older I would tell them about Trayvon Martin, but I'm not sure what I would tell them to do or not to do so that the same thing doesn't happen to them. I feel helpless.

I wanted to do something about this. So I did and I will continue to do so. I've spoken to someone in the Mayor's office of Sanford, FL., I've left a message with the mayor, and I've spoken with someone in the police department down there. I have no problems calling again and again and again until justice is served. I've signed two petitions demanding the arrest of George Zimmerman and if I find any more I'll sign those too. Trayvon Martin was not my son, but he could have been. And I stand with his mother Sabrina, if only symbolically, and I want the world to know that it is NOT okay to kill our babies.

I pray for the Ryan and Evan each and every night that no hurt, harm, or danger will come their way. And that's pretty much all I can do.

May God bless the family of Trayvon Martin and may justice be served.