Racism in America: The Trayvon Martin Case (Position Statement)

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A NOMAS Position Statement

The National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS) is outraged by the tragic homicide of Trayvon Martin and subsequent failure of criminal justice officials to charge the man who admits to killing Martin, George Zimmerman.  This is an injustice to Martin and his family, and epitomizes the racial injustice that continues to permeate our society.  Racism remains a primary source of inequality and oppression.  At the individual level, it renders all young black men “suspicious”.  At the institutional level, it is particularly evident in the criminal justice system.

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a corporate-backed organization, supplied legislative language nation-wide virtually identical to the Florida “Stand Your Ground” law under which Zimmerman is walking free.  ALEC’s taste for promoting institutional racism is also evident in its promotion of bills that make it harder for people of color to vote.  Thus, too large a focus on the actions of one individual like Zimmerman, tend to shift attention from those whith the power to abet such handiwork on a massive scale.  So let us turn a spotlight on the corporations aligned with ALEC through its Private Enterprise Board. [1]
NOMAS stands with Trayvon’s family to call for justice.  We urge every decent American to take action until justice is served. It is imperative that each of us examine the dynamics of racism in our own lives and the ways that our history and culture promote its existence.  We must work to change a society that permits this kind of violence to persist, in its most subtle forms that occur every day and in more blatant acts like the homicide perpetrated by George Zimmerman.

[1]  Mr. W. Preston Baldwin (Centerpoint360), Mrs. Sandra Oliver (Bayer Corp.), Mr. John Del Giorno (GlaxoSmithKline), Mr. David Powers (Reynolds American), Ms. Maggie Sans (Wal-Mart Stores), Mr. Jerry Watson Ms. Sano Blocker (Energy Future Holdings), Mr. Don Bohn (Johnson & Johnson), Mr. Jeffrey Bond (PhRMA), Mr. William Carmichael (American Bail Coalition), Mr. Derek Crawford (Kraft Foods, Inc.), Mr. Robert Jones (Pfizer Inc), Ms. Teresa Jennings (Reed Elsevier, Inc.), Mr. Kenneth Lane (DIAGEO), Mr. Bill Leahy (AT&T), Mr. Kelly Mader (Peabody Energy), Mr. Richard McArdle (UPS), Mr. Mike Morgan (Koch Companies Public Sector, LLC), Mr. Daniel Smith (Altria Client Services), Mr. Randy Smith (ExxonMobil Corporation), Mr. Russell Smoldon (Salt River Project), and Mr. Roland Spies (State Farm Insurance Co.). (http://www.alec.org/about-alec/private-enterprise-board/
accessed 3-1-2012.)

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