Zimmerman Verdict

I forgot to mention that our first night in New Orleans I went down to get change so we could tip the person who brought us champagne and as I went into the cafe in our hotel there was a bit of a commotion going on. I asked the woman at the counter for change and she was breaking my 20 all the while staring at a man in the cafe who was laughing and cheering. She then apologized to me and said that she was trying to understand why that man would be cheering for the verdict. I was not aware at that time that the jurors had come back with a verdict for George Zimmerman. I asked her what they decided and she sadly said "not guilty". I was saddened, but not surprised. I do not know all of the evidence, but I know that child should still be alive and I know that had George Zimmerman listened to the directives of law enforcement, he would be. It was very sad to watch this play out this evening with a man, cheering carelessly for a verdict that really didn't impact him and hurting people around him. There is no good outcome for anyone when a child has been killed. How can anyone see a good outcome in that. I think cheering and laughing was an inappropriate response and I think so many of us unintentionally harm people by being careless with our actions and reactions. It was a very somber moment for me. There have been many moments on this trip, as I have mentioned in which the racial disparity and inequity in this country have been so blatantly represented across different states and cities and in different ways. We have had many conversations about the issue of race and poverty here in the United States, I have read internet postings of people denying that racism still exists even some that say that "white people" are the only ones who are discriminated against. I feel sad that people think this way. I feel sad that I have to be cautious about where I take my children in this so called free country of ours where we encountered all different types of people who looked at them and looked at me and made less than pleasant faces or behaved differently towards us. We drove through towns that still have segregated seating. It is an issue that people of all walks of life, parts of this world, color of skin, socioeconomic placement will need to participate in to find a solution. We all hold a place in this struggle. We are all deserving of greatness and should all be treated with dignity and respect. One should not have to worry that their child will not live through a walk to the store to get some candy because he wears a certain jacket and has dark skin. That is wrong. That should not be cheered for nor laughed about, by anyone, ever.  I hope to see progress in my lifetime, I hope to be part of the solution, I hope and pray for a better, safer world for my children and for all children.