RevCyn

Heartland Unitarian Universalist Ministers’ Statement on Trayvon Martin Case
March 29, 2012
Unitarian Universalist ministers from the Heartland District (covering parts of Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky) gathered in Lansing, Michigan today and, joining with our Florida colleagues, issued the following statement regarding last month’s tragic killing of Trayvon Martin in Central Florida.
Whereas serious questions remain about the events of February 26 and the investigation into those events; and
Whereas the public outrage surrounding this case is reflective of deeper issues in our society and the lived experience of many of its people of color; and
Whereas these individual incidents are not isolated occurrences but rather are fueled by consistent messages of fear and division in our national and political discourse; and
Whereas all people deserve the full blessings of justice, equity, and compassion in our society and in our justice system;
We therefore call for a thorough investigation …

I was deeply disturbed when Caylee Anthony went missing and mourned her death.  I know why, too.  She was of a similar age to my own daughter, and at least one person told me that Caylee reminded this person of my own daughter.  Caylee's big brown eyes, in particular, do have a resemblance.
         I cried when I read about Christina Taylor Green, who was 9 years old when she died in the shootings in Tucson.  She, too, reminded me of my daughter, a precocious, politically-involved, brown-haired, brown-eyed girl. 
         I know why I mourned these little girls who, for a moment, caught our nation's attention.  They were innocent, beautiful, and gone too soon.  And they were in the media spotlight -- beautiful little girls -- white little girls.  Their deaths were horrible, outrageous, and made us sad and also furious.
         Too often the children whose deaths we mourn as a society are like Caylee and Christina Taylor -- the white little girls.  Too seldom do we,…