I don't watch the news, I find it too depressing. I know, to be informed, I need to stay up on current events. I have however heard the story of Trayvon Martin. We all have. We know that he was 17 years old. We know that he was carrying an iced tea and a bag of Skittles, when he was shot and killed for wearing a hoodie, in the rain. He was shot for looking “suspicious”. Although the president is Black, in America, suspicious is synonymous with black. Trayvon could have easily been my brother or my cousin. I am angered because we will never know his full potential. He could have been anything. He could have been president or attorney general. At 17, President Obama looked like Trayvon Martin. My father looked like Trayvon Martin.The most influential Black men in the world looked like Trayvon Martin. Let us not forget those who have suffered the same fate as Trayvon, like Emmett Till, Jay Parker, Sean Bell and those whose deaths failed to make headlines. I shed tears as I realize that Trayvon Martin's mark on this world will only be made through his death.
