By Aadrian Jackson
Behind every fact is
a face. Behind every statistic is a story. Behind every catch phrase is a young
person whose future will be lost if something is not done immediately to change
his or her reality. And when it comes to young, African-American men, the numbers
are staggering and the reality is sobering.
On Wednesday night
inside Emanuel AME Church, a historic black church in Charleston, S.C. Nine
people were killed, including three men and six women. Among those killed was
the church pastor, the Rev. Clementa Carlos Pinckney.
The Washington Post states that this church is “the oldest
of its kind in the South, had already seen more than its fair share of tumult
and hate.” It was founded by worshipers fleeing racism and burned to the ground
for its connection with a thwarted slave revolt. For years, its meetings were
conducted in secret to evade laws that banned all-black services. This is the
seventh black church to burn across five southern states since the Emanuel AME
Church shooting, but so far the fires don’t appear to be related.
It is truly sad to see African Americans treated
in such a distasteful manner, like caged-in animals waited to be slaughtered.
This shooting is one of many examples on how racist people think of blacks. It
is true that the majority of the 2.3 million people incarcerated in U.S. prisons
and jails are people of color, people with mental health issues and drug addiction,
people with low levels of educational attainment, and people with a history of
unemployment or underemployment. This affects the black youth in numerous ways.
Young black men know
that in far too many settings they will be seen not as individuals, but as the
“other,” and given no benefit of the doubt. By the time they have grown into
adult bodies, even though they are still children, they are well versed in the
experience of being treated as criminals by cops who stop and search them, and
eyed warily by nighttime pedestrians who cower on the sidewalks.
The power of
stereotypes has always been easily illustrated in studies. But media accounts
of the 911 calls made over the last several years by George Zimmerman, who was
acquitted of the second-degree murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin, offer a
glimpse of a man who seemed gripped by fears that he began to associate almost
exclusively with black children and teenagers.
In the video below, Fort
Valley State University Marketing and Communications Intern Aadrian Jackson
asked a few students questions about how they feel about the shooting and their
perspectives on society and life.
