It’s no secret that the racial climate in this country hasn’t always been positive. But for many, it wasn’t until the killing of Trayvon Martin that the racial war actually hit home.
Media pundits, George Zimmerman supporters and Stand your Ground advocates all justified Trayvon’s death – but instead of falling back on the law that saved Zimmerman, they threw racial epithets into the media that devalued the teens life…and the life of many other black boys and men.
And who other to lead the pack than Ted Nugent, outspoken rock star, gun enthusiast and National Rifle Association board member.
After the acquittal heard around the world, Nugent went on a media tour and continuously referred to the slain teen as a “dope smoking racist gangster wannabe,” a phrase that was both untrue and disrespectful to the dead.
But his comments didn’t go unnoticed. Pastor David Alexander Bullock and the Change Agent Consortium are campaigning to have Nugent removed from the NRA board of directors for his insensitive comments – but also because his influence in an organization that values guns over lives could mean the start of open season on our black men.
“Ted Nugent’s comments are racist. His comments about Trayvon Martin shameful. His commentary about the so called black problem is unsophisticated and insensitive – he must be removed from the NRA board immediately. If he is the voice of white America any reasonable dialogue about race and reconciliation in this country is doomed from the start,” said Bullock, who is the Change Agent Consortium national spokesperson.
GlobalGrind got a chance to talk with Bullock about the petition to remove Nugent from the board, as well as the current state of race in this country post-Trayvon.
“The campaign was started to one, make people aware of Nugent’s comments, and then two, begin to organize and fight against what I believe is becoming a culture of normality as it relates to degrading or stereotypical racist and ignorant comments members of the African American community.”
He continued, citing the numerous incidents where Trayvon was deemed a thug, President Obama was called a monkey, and the demoralization of those African Americans who have spoken up in the face of racial scrutiny and taunting.
“We’re just going backwards in this country as it relates to the kind of speech that can be licensed. That’s kind of the impetus for the campaign. We need to make people aware that this kind of speech is becoming more prevalent and we should not license it in our culture civil rights movement.”
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