A College Student Expresses Reasons Why Obama Should, but Won’t Intervene for Trayvon Martin

by Askia N’diaye, Syracuse University

3 Reasons why Obama SHOULD intervene

 1. Trayvon Martin was a Black teen that was effectively lynched for being in the wrong neighborhood after dark by a regular citizen: Obama is all about change and progression, this case is a head backwards to the Sundown Town era. Trayvon Martin easily could’ve been young Barack Obama, or his son.

 2. It’s a high profile case: It’s far more important than that Skip Gates fiasco, Heavy D’s passing (RIP), and Rush Limbaugh calling Sandra Fluke a slut. It’s a grave hypocrisy to deploy troops in Uganda, while Black children are facing equal injustices in his own union.

 3. When citizen’s rights are not being upheld, it’s no longer a local or state issue: Obama’s smug excuse, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Trayvon Martin’s family. But obviously we’re not going to wade into a local law-enforcement matter,” is clearly invalid here. The president is the head of the executive branch of the federal government and is constitutionally obligated to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” Florida’s police force and administration is guilty of ignoring witnesses and not upholding the law in this case. They have given every excuse in the book not to book the murderer George Zimmerman. Thus, the whole justice system in Florida needs a thorough federal investigation–not just this case.

 

Three reasons why Obama WON’T intervene

 1. Barack Obama just doesn’t care nor see himself in Trayvon: Every prominent Black male activist has spoken out and mentioned how it could’ve been them or their sons. Those familiar with Barack Obama’s upbringing know he was born to a white woman, and raised by two. Dr. John Henrik Clarke explains, The One Drop Rule was not created by us in his discussion on Mullatos. I can’t imagine him being profiled much in Honolulu, Hawaii. Nevertheless, every person of color has their “Black wakeup call” (shout out to Herman Cain), so I’d assume he could relate through the racism he’s faced during his successes.

 2. He doesn’t want to offend anyone: He apologized for criticizing the police in the Henry Louis Gates fiasco when people tried to put him in his place. He also lets white racist politicians interrupt his speeches and stick fingers in his face without reprimand. He never acknowledges the racist agendas of the Tea Party, depictions of him as a chimpanzee in the New York Times, etc.

3. He is a man that makes chess moves: Barack Obama tries his very best to avoid racial discussion to appear as “Everybody’s president.” Recall him distancing himself from Reverend Wright, not inviting Cornel West to his inauguration, not attending The Black State of the Union, ignoring the Troy Davis execution, ect. The Rockefeller Laws he reformed were not overtly racist except to Blacks so he was safe there.

 

Remember when the president told Black people “Take off your bedroom slippers. Put on your marching shoes,” when asking for attention during the recession we suffered the most from? Sorry to break it to you, but it’s about time we stop looking at President Obama as The Great Black Hope and second coming of Jesus. We have supported him and made it all possible since day one; I have grown closer to him after each racist incident he’s faced. However, when Barack Obama doesn’t speak out against these issues, it’s hard for me to keep respect for a man who should be my ideal role model as a young Black male college student. At minimum, he should ask someone in his administration to closely monitor the case. The worst thing he needs right now is a race riot. Can’t he hold a short press conference to address the mass public uproar? He has press conferences after NCAA, NBA, and NFL championships right? I guess he’s too busy filling out his NCAA bracket on ESPN.