The murder of 17 year old Trayvon Martin is gathering a large amount of attention in social media. Of course, his murder and the freedom of his murderer are main topics, but there is another cause for concern. What was so suspicious about Trayvon? Why was his black, male body in a hoodie so scary that it caused one to commit murder? More importantly, why does this man, so frightened of black men, continue to walk free?

I believe the whole problem ties back to the Western view of black masculinity. Black men are seen as violent, angry animals. I find this especially interesting since our current president is literally African-American. Why is so much fear directed toward black men? America has historically subverted the black man into being an inferior animal. I guess people really do hate what they do not understand. Sadly enough, Trayvon came to learn this while getting some Skittles and iced tea for his little brother. Unfortunately, Trayvon’s case is not the only one. Sean Bell was murdered the day before his wedding, leaving his fiance and son behind. Bell was also an unarmed black man. His case is different in that he was shot numerous times and by the police.

Can we truly call ourselves “post-racism” when the bodies of black men lay blood soaked and dying simply for being black and “suspicious”? We call ourselves color blind, when all we see is color. A few weeks ago Kony 2012 was viral, and America was so concerned about black bodies in Africa. Since tragedy struck home, though, America has been pretty quiet. I am personally devastated by the case of Trayvon Martin.