The Trayvon Martin case has brought renewed tensions to the race issue, helped along by eager hustlers like Al Sharpton. For liberal America the case was further proof that we still have a long way to go to reach race equality. For many conservatives it elicited surprise that we are still so angry about the issue of race in this country today, over 50 years after the civil rights movement. I’ve received many comments from people in light of the Martin case expressing confusion and frustration. One commenter said “I’ve been shocked to see how this whole thing has become such a huge deal. Why do we still look at each other as this race or that? When I look at a person I truly don’t see the color of their skin. We should all be colorblind…” This comment is completely representative of many, many others I have heard about race in the last few weeks.

So…does race really matter?

As a Black conservative woman, my answer is “Yes! It does.” Understandably this will make many conservatives feel uncomfortable. Conservative America has been the butt of blatantly cruel and false accusations of racism for decades now. Their words are routinely twisted and misrepresented in the media and Hollywood complex. The meme of “racist conservative” has led many of us to shy away from uncomfortable conversations about race. But I fear that in our attempts to pull our society away from the “race first” hysteria of outlets like MSNBC, some conservatives have pulled too far in the other direction. We completely discount the role of race in our society in our attempts to be “colorblind”. I think race does matter. I do think it’s important. In this world race is intimately tied to culture, and culture is what gives the human race it’s flavoring. Have you ever been to a cookout at a black family’s house? It’s a whole lot different from going to a cookout with a White family. Is that because of income level or education? Not really. It’s because of race, which inevitably leads to culture.

I don’t want our society to be colorblind. I am perfectly fine with anyone noticing that I am a Black woman. I’m proud of my heritage. I’m proud of the amazing contributions the Black community has made in building this blessed and prosperous country. Our community has faced incredible odds, discrimination and oppression, while at the same time becoming extremely influential in areas that set the tone for the general American culture, such as the arts and education. All the racial adversity, the struggles – it all added up to an incredibly rich and vibrant culture. I don’t want to ignore that richness in the name of being “colorblind”. I believe the same goes for other race communities as well. To me, diversity doesn’t just mean a bunch of people of all different races in the same place, it means many distinct cultures coming together and sharing their unique experiences/gifts. I don’t want my Asian friends to be just like me. I love learning about their stories and traditions. Their race actually gives them a specific perspective on American life that I just don’t have. Their race does matter to me, because it informs their views and how they relate to those around them and american society in general.

I appreciate so much my White friends who tell me race doesn’t matter to them. They are good people and they just want to be able to see others for the “content of their character” . But if I’m being honest, sometimes it also bothers me when they say things like that. What they don’t understand is that for most black people race does matter. It isn’t just about “Black power” and lingering issues from our enslaved ancestors. It’s about the way we laugh, what we laugh about; how we socialize, worship, recreate; it’s about how we eat, how we communicate, how we raise our families. All of these things hold within them hundreds of years of experiences and development. And of course that holds true for all racial communities. Sometimes, when a White friend says they want everyone to ignore race, it feels like they are saying we should ignore culture too; and what many people may not realize is that for Black people, their culture is a great source of pride, despite the failings and troubles of our community in recent decades.

I’m certainly not saying it’s wrong to see folks outside of their racial designations; but the controversial Derbyshire piece from a few weeks ago got me thinking about this whole idea of race and conversations surrounding race. His piece was disturbing but it made me think – if I were ever going to have a real, open discussion on black/white race relations I would want a guy like that in on it. Why? Because he said uncomfortable things. At least he admitted how he really felt. It’s hard to have the uncomfortable conversations in today’s climate. If you don’t hold the “right” views you are immediately shot down and ridiculed. That doesn’t leave much room for honesty. I’d like for us to be able to really have those cringe-worthy talks, where people say what they really think even if it sounds crazy or offensive. How can we challenge misperceptions and prejudice if no one is willing to take the risk of opening the dialogue? How can we truly become a post-racial America if no one is willing to tell the truth about our differences, similarities, and all the awkward things in between?

Race does matter. It’s okay to see race, because it means acknowledging culture. It just shouldn’t be the first thing we see, and it shouldn’t be where we get stuck.

crossposted at kiradavis.net

Last Thursday in Los Angeles Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson led a march and protest in South L.A in honor of slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin. Celebrities and citizens came from all corners to walk with Martin’s parents and hear Sharpton and others speak at West Angeles Church of God in Christ. However, there was another name being spoken among the protesters; a name those following the Trayvon Martin case may not be very familiar with…Kendrec McDade.  McDade- a 19 year old Black man from Pasadena, CA- was gunned down by (white) Pasadena police officers on the evening of March 24th, 2012.  Police were responding to a 911 call that identified McDade and one other teenager as possible suspects in a robbery. Police arrived on the scene and fired on McDade from their vehicle, claiming the teen had reached into his wasteband as he approached.  It was later determined that McDade was unarmed.  It wasn’t until the Trayvon Martin case went public that Kendrec

McDade’s case began being mentioned as a similar crime.  At the Thursday rally, Jackson expressed sadness at the loss of both young men and what it meant to the black community, and he encouraged the crowd to see it as the beginning of a movement. “We cannot stop evil men from crucifying the righteous, and they cannot stop us from resurrecting them,” he said.

But who, exactly, is Jackson hoping to resurrect? By now most people are painfully familiar with the details of the Trayvon Martin shooting.  Fewer know all the details in McDade’s case; including, it seems Jesse Jackson and company.  McDade was not simply an unarmed, well-meaning black man walking through a gated-community when he was randomly shot in cold blood by police.  26-year-old Oscar Carrillo-Gonzalez witnessed McDade and another teen breaking into his car and removing his backpack and laptop.  He immediately called 911 and told the operator that the two young men were armed. He later admitted that he lied about seeing a weapon in hopes that it would hasten police response.  At no point in the investigation or the resulting civil suit filed against the city of Pasadena by McDade’s parents has anyone disputed the fact that McDade was indeed robbing vehicles at the time of his shooting.  His 17 year old companion (who’s name has been withheld due to his status as a minor) is currently in custody on charges of burglary, grand theft and failing to register as a gang member. While the police may still be on the hook for some type of failure or misconduct, this is in no way an open and shut case of profiling. Jackson and company have twisted the details of this case and the Martin case for their own personal notoriety, creating unnecessary  strife across the country in the process.

Holding up the McDade case as a civil rights issue is irresponsible and dangerous. Jackson and Sharpton have to willfully ignore the fact that McDade was engaging in a crime at the time of his shooting in order to make this an example of racist brutality. Is this the best we can do as Black Americans? Making a martyr of a misguided young criminal? Are Jackson and Sharpton trying to tell us that personal actions are irrelevant when it comes to interactions betweens black people and police? Probably…and in my opinion, that’s what makes them even more dangerous to the Black community than so-called hate crimes.

Troy Davis, a convicted cop killer from Georgia has been given a literal ‘last minute’ reprieve from his 7:00 PM date with the lethal injection needle at the Jackson Prison, where he has been on death row.  Davis, whose case has received international attention, was convicted of shooting a Savannah police officer in 1989.

According to his lawyers, he has been given a temporary reprieve to allow the Supreme Court to review his case. Attorneys for Davis have been asking for a retrial based on several witnesses that have, over the years, recanted their testimony that helped convict Davis of the crime.

Authorities have stopped short of using the word “stay” of execution, but only that Davis has been given a temporary reprieve. Crowds of nearly 200 supporters for Davis went from sorrow to jubilation only a few minutes after 7:00 PM Wednesday night as it was revealed that the condemned man had received the reprieve.

This is an ongoing story. We will publish more information as it becomes available.

It appears that Mr. Davis has not been granted a reprieve. He has been executed in accordance with the sentence handed down by a jury of his peers. As of 11:08, this convicted cop killer has been dealt the punishment the American justice system awarded him.