The death of Trayvon Martin and the trial of George Zimmerman has once again brought race to the forefront of conversation in America.
Sadly, the conversation isn't about trying to bring people together. Rather, the diatribes emanating from various groups are about bringing race into an issue in order to divide the country further.
Never mind that George Zimmerman was on his way back to his vehicle when he was attacked by Trayvon Martin. Never mind that this young person was slamming this middle-aged man's head against the ground when the fatal shot was fired. Never mind that this young person was not the squeaky clean teenager portrayed by the news media.
Never mind that the local police and the FBI both concluded that race played no part in this tragedy. Never mind that the testimony of one of Zimmerman's black neighbors -- an eye witness -- was one of the main reasons for his acquittal. Never mind that a jury found Zimmerman not guilty of all charges after listening to and examining all of the evidence.
All that matters in the minds of those who are spewing the hatred is that Martin was black and Zimmerman was white. That's racism.
Was Zimmerman "innocent?" No. He clearly assumed that this young person was up to no good and instead of simply asking this young man if he were living in this neighborhood, he watched and followed him. But one wrong doesn't give a young person the right to attack a middle-aged man, or to slam his head against the ground.
Do we know exactly what happened? Not really. But the eyewitness who testified, as well as the forensic evidence, suggested that Martin was beating Zimmerman soundly when the shot was fired. That alone provided the jury with enough reasonable doubt to find Zimmerman not guilty of second degree murder and manslaughter. Thankfully, thinking someone might be guilty isn't enough in America; there's a much higher threshhold that must be met before someone is sent to prison.
Sadly, instead of having a civil conversation about race and about the American system of justice, most Americans are more divided than ever. The voices of rational people are not being heard. Even the President and his Attorney General, Eric Holder, have done more to fan the flames of racial hatred than try to promote a civic dialogue among Americans of different skin colors.
Throughout my life, I have searched for opportunities to have civil conversations about race and culture. While in college, I befriended a fellow black student and we would talk for hours about race, with each of us truly listening to the other and trying to understand how the other's experiences shaped his way of thinking. While working in college, I rode to work every day with a black man who was Muslim, and we talked about religion and world politics. While living in a southern state, I happily lived in a county that was overwhelmingly black. While there, I became friends with a black legislator, who helped me to understand why he felt that racial quotas were fair, given all that he had been through during his life and how this affected him socioeconomically. I learned things I never knew because I simply took the time to listen and try to learn. While in that same southern county, I started a program to encourage more female and minority representation in science, technology, engineering and math careers and spent a great deal of time working with these young people.
I listened. I learned. They listened. They learned. We talked and shared ideas without anger or hatred or ever raising our voices. This is true dialogue.
A civil dialogue among Americans can be held. But it will only begin when groups such as the NAACP stop yelling and start listening.
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