Perspective on Travon Martin

The basic premise on Travon Martin's case is a demonstration of every black parent's nightmare, it may sound cold-hearted or racial, but it is true. Black parents may now fear that they have to discuss the special "Talk" with their children on how to behave when confronted by patrolling officers or in this case community watchers, or how to conduct themselves in certain places to avoid being stereotyped as a thief or a thug. It is like black maleness is a potentially fatal condition; it could turn an ordinary situation into a life or death situation even if one is doing nothing wrong. When a black person is being encountered by a situation like this, their mission is to survive not to win.

The presumptuous 'burden' of being black is an excuse to make allowances for other people's racism. It is presumed that one's intentions are foreseen based on wearing certain clothing, which is just a camouflage for the real reason for victimization, being black. It is about forcing blacks to relive the days of slavery, a time when the idea that they were less human, less valuable, less worthy, less beautiful, and less intelligent were instilled. Even though, according to the writer, that you are an honors students, never been in trouble a day in your life or about to attend one of the best universities, it is about prejudging you as violent, fearsome and a threat. My first thought on this article reminded me of a phrase "It ain't right, It ain't fair, but that's the way it is" these were lessons learned as youth "Don't run in public, it may let someone thing you are suspicious" and "Don't run while carrying something in your hands, it may let someone think that you stole something". All these may sound bizarre, but it is reality.

This article conveys the fact that there has been a lot of unfairness, discrimination and stereotyping among young black men and women because of the color of their skin, and that it scares most families. Black children are prepared at a certain age to avoid confrontations with authority figures, and to remain calm in situations even if their rights are violated. It is amazing how a particular race would have to act a certain way when they have encounters with authority figures, the one who vows to protect and serve.

Here in the Caribbean, we should take the death of Travon Martin as a lesson learnt, especially when skin color is the main focus. Though it is not predominant in the Caribbean as in the foreign countries, there is still plenty of discrimination by skin color in the Caribbean, which is in my opinion ridiculous, as the Caribbean population is mainly of African descent. The fact that some people often treat others differently, based on the shade of their skin, is no secret to the Caribbean. The lighter the skin color, the higher the presumed social standing of an individual. Combined with this, other discriminating