Bloodlines and Race Essay

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Bloodlines and Race

George Zimmerman allegedly killed Trayvon Martin, an African-American teenager, in self-defense. The case has gotten national attention partly because of the issue of racial profiling. Many people believe that Zimmerman is biased against African-Americans and that he held a stereotypical view of Trayvon: a black teenager, face half-hidden under a hoodie, does not belong in a white neighborhood and is looking for trouble. Another dimension to the case is Zimmerman's own race, which is not clear.

Zimmerman's race is "a complicated matter" (Gamboa, 2012). Initially, the police described Zimmerman as white. Although his last name is Jewish, Zimmerman is not. His father calls him a "Spanish speaking minority." On voter registration forms, both Zimmerman and his mother identify themselves as Hispanic. Zimmerman's father listed himself as white. Race is important in the case because no one, other than Zimmerman, really knows exactly what happened. Zimmerman claims he was defending himself, which is justifiable homicide according to Florida's "stand your ground law." It is easy for some people to assume a white man could kill a black teenager just because he is black. If Zimmerman is himself a minority, then it might not be as easy to believe.

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Some people claim that, as a Latino, Zimmerman should have known better to engage in racial profiling. "In the U.S., when we think about race, it's usually black and white…Latinos complicate that dichotomy," said Cynthia Duarte, associate director of research for the Institute of Latino Studies at Notre Dame (Gamboa). Legally, Zimmerman's race by itself does not have anything to do with whether he is guilty or innocent. However, it may be a very important consideration when the court tries to determine his motive for the killing. It is a question of acting in self-defense or committing a hate crime.

2. According to the Book of Genesis, Noah cursed his son Ham's descendants to be slaves. There is no Biblical evidence that Ham was the "father" of African people, but various Jewish, Christian and Islamic writers came to believe that he was. This association helped justify centuries of African enslavement ('The Curse of Ham', 2003). The belief was that a certain group of people was marked for slavery by the color of the skin. Some people believed the Bible commanded it.

3. '7 People in a Room" is an interesting exercise in which the observer….....

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