July 21, 2013 Bernard Goldberg
Six days after the trial of George Zimmerman ended, President Obama talked to America about why the not guilty verdict caused so much hurt and pain and frustration among black people, especially young black men who are often viewed with suspicion, just as Trayvon Martin was.
He spoke informally, from notes, not from a teleprompter. And he spoke in personal terms, as a black man who has also experienced the humiliation of being taken for someone up to no good. He said that, “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.”
He talked about how young black men are followed when they walk into a store. He said he was. He talked about how people lock their car doors when young black men come into view. He said it happened to him before he became a U.S. senator. He talked about how women in elevators clutch their purses when a young black man enters.
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It’s worth repeating Jesse Jackson’s observation of some years back about race. “There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps then turn around and see somebody white and feel relieved.”
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