Thirteen years ago, I received a phone call and saw an image that changed the way I saw my country.
Thirteen years ago, I was heading to my old job that was located five blocks away from the Twin Towers.
While I understand the disbelief and the shear surrealism this event caused all Americans, I have trouble understanding a culture that fails to have the same depth of upset when it comes to our young black males.
We are in a similar situation (terrorism that may strike at any moment for any reason) when we look at the lives of Mike Brown, the residents of Ferguson and of course, Trayvon Martin.
Where is our shock and outrage in reference to these snuffed out lives?
It is always interesting to hear white friends and colleagues go on about not feeling safe (post 911).
I resist the urge to launch into a Richard Pryor rant about “now you know what it feels like being black in this country”.
I have grown up knowing that I could be gunned down for any reason at any time.
Young black males have never been safe in this country. A black male who is brilliant, talented or gay is even more of a target.
What kind of world do we live in when we are only given the choice to mourn one sect of our population ?
Where are the telethons, star studded media events that say : This (murdering our young people) has to stop.
Where are the A-List celebrities offering large sums of money for legal fees, grief counseling and support of neighborhood watches ?
How many more have to be slaughtered before we take collective action and demand change ?
I mourned the senseless murders on 9/11.
I also mourned Trayvon, Mike Brown and Amadou Diallo.