Trayvon Martin “#Hoodiesup”–Provision or Distraction?

One of my best friends and mentors sent me the screenshot above which pushed me to write about the Trayvon “hoodie” phenomenon. Dr. Boyce Watkins mentioned the “#HoodiesUp” theme for rallies was something done for creativity when we spoke. However, at this point, I see it as a fad and platform for “slacktivism”. A profile picture with a hoodie, ice tea and skittles will make you suddenly “down for the struggle.” In my article on threatening black masculinity, I write about a white girl screaming at the sight of me in my collared shirt. Yes, wearing business clothing makes us a little less fearful, but you don’t need Henry Louis Gates to tell you the Trayvon Martin Lynching was not about dress attire, character, or education.

Zimmerman’s 911 call proves this slaying was 100% about race; “suspicious” Trayvon didn’t even have his hood up when first targeted! You’d have an easier chance convincing me if gay man is killed while wearing lip stick and nail polish, the makeup is at fault. Or, if a female is sexually harassed, her high heels and skirt are to blame.

The terrible “burden” called Black skin on a man is intimidating no matter what. If he’s in a corporate office wearing a suit, he will still be hyper-sexualized. In fact, a brother in a suit is even more threatening to the status quo–a smart, articulate, Black man who has power and brains? Uh oh! A Black man like “Skip” Gates pushing a Benz in a nice suburb may be even more likely to be racially profiled by police. That “gangsta” image is the most non-threatening; they don’t mind us selling dope and killing because it usually stays in our own neighborhoods and lands us in prison. Trayvon Martin was slayed because a man wanted to protect his prestige in a white gated community by ridding it of “F*cking coons.” One cannot mention socioeconomic status without discussing race too.

The hoodie symbolizes what?–hip hop, urban, black male culture. So once again, we’re lead to ethnicity. All signs of Black urban culture are demonized; a club I went to once had a no white tees or fitted hats policy. Black men are constantly pre-judged, and the clothing can be the icing on the cake. Freshman year my professor said, “I saw a man in a parking lot with his hat on backwards, and thought he was going to hit me over the head with a gun!” If a Black man is wearing a hoodie hiding his face, this makes non-Blacks uncomfortable because if they can’t see us smiling and grinning, we’re by default hostile and dangerous. Geraldo Rivera is under fire for saying “The hoodie is just as guilty as Zimmerman.” I have one question for him: Would this have happened if Trayvon were white wearing a hoodie like Eminem?

Askia’s blog: metamorphracists.blogspot.com