The Huffington Post: The All-Woman Jury Finds George Zimmerman Not Guilty: Will There Ever Be Justice for Young Men?

July 14, 2013 by Michelle D. Bernard in Blog Posts, Civil Rights, Criminal and Social Justice, Culture and Politics, Domestic and Economic Policy

Now that the jury in the Zimmerman trial has reached its verdict, finding George Zimmerman not guilty of second degree murder or manslaughter in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, the mothers and fathers of African American boys have no choice but to ask whether there will ever be justice for our sons.

What will the mothers and fathers of African American boys say to our sons when they remark, as my son did, “If George Zimmerman could kill Trayvon Martin, he could kill me” ?

What will we, as the parents of African American boys tell our sons about a justice system where “justice” means “just us” and our child will never be in the club?

The killing of Trayvon Martin is a travesty of justice. We may find that there will never be justice for black young men, at least not in Sanford, Florida.

We are all Trayvon Martin.

Michelle D. Bernard, the president & CEO of the Bernard Center for Women, Politics & Public Policy is the author of Moving America Toward Justice, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law 1963-2013. Follow her on Twitter@michellebernard.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelle-bernard/the-all-woman-jury-finds-_b_3596305.html