(ThyBlackMan.com) Although Halloween is days away, a trio of men and women recently decided to display their holiday foolishness early.
According to numerous reports, a photo of a group in distasteful Halloween “attire” was uploaded to Caitlin Cimeno’s Facebook account (which has since been deleted). In the photo are two men with a woman standing in between them. The guy on the left is in blackface, wearing a “blood-stained” gray hoodie, while the guy on the right—who has on a “Neighborhood Watch” t-shirt—is smiling as he points a gun (made out of his right hand) to the other man’s head.
It should be painfully obvious to see, but the blackfaced, blood-stained character is supposed to be Trayvon Martin while the happy neighborhood watch shooter is supposed to be George Zimmerman. And, sadly, stories say this group is from Florida.
I know Halloween is this week and people are always trying to have the most creative outfits, but let me say this:
Trayvon Martin is NOT a costume.
And more specifically I mean his murder (and yes, despite what a Florida jury says, he was murdered) is not a costume.
Martin was just 17—a child—and was unfairly gunned down in 2012. It took weeks for his killer to even be arrested and to have charges brought against him. Martin’s name was dragged through the mud and his character was tarnished with people viciously calling him “thug Martin” and saying he deserved to die. A photo of his dead body was even broadcasted for the world to see.
Then a jury slaps his parents and family in the face by not finding Zimmerman guilty of any charges. His family gets slapped in the face yet again after a juror comes out and says she knows they set a killer free and how heartbroken she is for his mother. And now this?
What happened to Trayvon Martin was disgusting and immoral and was a shot at the lives of black men throughout America. His death was not a joke and is not something to “mock” or “play dress up” with for Halloween.
Martin’s life was taken away from him; that’s not something to be “glamorized” by blackface, fake blood and a neighborhood watch shirt. Nor is it and everything it represented an occurrence to be proudly smiled upon, as the three are shamelessly doing in the photo.
Trayvon (and his death) is not a costume. He was someone’s child, brother and friend. And though these people may take off their clown clothes and brush the night off as harmless fun, his family and all those affected by his death will forever remember that, unlike the three in their “creative failures,” Martin will never again experience the joys of this or any other holiday.
People, think twice before choosing your “costumes” this week. Everything is not a joke.
Staff Writer; Shala Marks
Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/shala.marks
Service is her passion, writing is her platform, women and the Black Community are her avenues. Shala Marks is a writer, editor and soon-to-be author. Through her work, Marks aspires to demonstrate “The Craft of Writing, and the Art of Efficacy.” She has a B.A. in journalism from Arizona State University. Connect with her over at http://www.ShalaMarks.com.