“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” –Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
On Saturday night, George Zimmerman was found not guilty of killing Trayvon Martin, and I would be lying if I didn’t admit I was feeling a bit defeated.
I have been paying attention to this case since it hit national news headlines last February and have been working hard since I began interning at GlobalGrind to try and bring awareness to the case. Now that the verdict has been determined, it seems like a complete slap in the face from the country that I’m supposed to be proud of.
When Julius Caesar was attacked by a group of senators including his close friend Marcus Brutus, his last words before he perished were “Et tu, Brute’?” which means, “And you Brutus?” Caesar was astonished that Brutus, someone he believed was close to him and cared for him, would turn around and stab him in the back.
When Trayvon’s brother Jahvaris’ tweeted “Et tu America?” the night the verdict was announced, I completely understood and felt the same way. Not only that, but I know that millions of people felt this exact same way as well. We felt as though we were stabbed in the back and betrayed by a country that is “by the people and FOR THE PEOPLE.”
But if the country’s government constantly seems to disappoint a certain group of people time and time again, it can be easy to believe that this government is really only for a special few.
I know that this is easier said than done, but we must all force ourselves to continue on with the struggle – even though we are feeling horrible at this moment. With every battle lost, the war comes closer and closer to fruition.
And this is what will truly count!
Because of this Zimmerman verdict, many people are probably thinking, “What’s the use? Things aren’t going to ever change.”
But if people years ago that were suffering at the hands of Jim Crow felt that same way, we would still be suffering from his hands as well. Let down after let down made people from all different backgrounds (black, white, Hispanic, Jewish, Asian) join together when they realized things needed to be changed for the better.
These strong people did not throw in the towel when something did not go their way. Instead, everything that seemed a setback only empowered them to keep persisting – because they knew sooner or later, progress would surely come.
There are many expecting us to just protest for a little while and then completely forget that this ever happened. And I can’t really blame them. There are many things that we come together over, whether they are protests or not, but we slowly allow them to let slip from our thoughts.
In order to seek justice for Trayvon, we must all PEACEFULLY continue on with the struggle. We must realize that we are not fighting in vain.
In order to keep the struggle going, we must open our mouths and speak up when we feel that someone’s life or welfare is in danger. We must always be aware of the happenings in our community and STAND OUR GROUND when we see something that should be changed. We have just as much right to do this as George Zimmerman or any other man walking on this soil.
As I lay my head down that night after hearing the verdict and reading the countless angry tweets from many saddened Trayvon Martin supporters, I definitely felt crushed; I even teared up. But since waking up Sunday morning, I feel a sense of faith that things will not be like this much longer. And this can only be true if we NEVER FORGET and not allow this struggle to die down!
Even Dr. Marin Luther King Jr., one of the most significant civil rights activists that ever walked the earth once declared, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
Isha Thorpe (pronounced eye-shah) is a News/Politics Editorial intern at GlobalGrind. She is also a contributing writer at Yahoo! and Examiner. Follow her on Twitter for all things news @IshawThorpe
