Trayvon Martin Case Study

The little things never bothered me; the little things never phased me. Watching the news and having my father make a comment about the “Porch-Monkey” that was shot by police in downtown Minneapolis. Walking down E-Block with my mother and noticing how she clutches her purse as we go by the tall black men on our side of the street. My cousins making a snide remark about a white girl at their school dating the “Nigger with the sweet dunk”. It was all just a normal day with nothing new, it wasn’t until I realized how embarrassed I had become. I wasn’t embarrassed solely because of their words or actions, but I was embarrassed at my own lack of action, my own lack of a voice. Those little things never used to bother me, those little things never

In the case of Trayvon Martin (Florida v. Zimmerman), racial profiling and injustice led to, not only his death, but the acquittal of his murderer, George Zimmerman. Martin was walking back home from a convenience store and cut through a neighborhood that had previously been victimized by robberies. Zimmerman, a member of the community watch, spotted him and reported Martin showing suspicious behavior. The two had an altercation, which led to Zimmerman to shoot Martin and caused a fatal wound to his chest. Even though Martin was unarmed and had no motive for the attack, Zimmerman was acquitted of the second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in July 2013. However tragic the event and trial may have been, the concept of implicit bias has received newfound attention. Implicit bias refers the stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. The increased dialogue around implicit bias and the Zimmerman verdict provides an opportunity to highlight research-based insights into how implicit bias may have played a role throughout the Zimmerman-Martin confrontation and during the trial. The stereotype of Blacks being criminals and violent has endured for decades. Extensive research has documented how the media perpetuates this damaging association through its distorted portrayal of African American men that emphasizes negative connotations such as criminality, poverty, and

The newly formed, Black Lives Matter movement, campaigns against violence towards black people. BLM regularly organizes protests around the deaths of black people in killings by law enforcement officers, racial profiling, police brutality, and inequality in the U.S. criminal justice system. The movement was the brain child of Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi that sprouted from the hash tag #BlackLivesMatter after the acquittal of George Zimmerman. BLM became nationally known for its street demonstrations following the deaths of two Black Americans: Michael Brown (Ferguson, Missouri) and Eric Garner (NYC, New York). However, unlike the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, the Black Lives Matter movement is a decentralized network that has no formal structure. In a modern age where news spreads like wild fire, social media is the new base for discussion on racial bias, not only in the legal system, but rather, in society as a whole. Its because of this that the Black Lives Matter movement has been able gain immense support from the younger population and has been able to grow in such a short period of time. (Garcia, 2015.). In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement social media movement, the “All Lives Matter” movement gained headway as well. The Black Lives Matter campaign pertains particularly to