Till, Martin, and Wilkerson

The story of Emmett Till is well known. A young chubby boy savagely beaten by two white men and dumped in a river. His mom had an open casket and the nation saw the results of a brutal beating and death. Till did not have the opportunity to walk away. Did he throw the first punch? Did he leave his attackers bloodied, with broken noses, and fearing for their lives?

Trayvon Martin was being followed by George Zimmerman. described as a white Hispanic by some, a multiracial individual by others. Zimmerman had his photo 'white' washed by many in the media. Why didn't they show Zimmerman as he was in real life? How many saw the natural darker skin tone Zimmerman in the first months after the death of Martin? Some media outlets were caught altering a 911 tape. The tape seemed to give the impression that Zimmerman was racially profiling Martin.

A witness for the prosecution said Martin threw the first punch. Martin by other accounts liked to fight, had a drug addiction, and repeatedly had trouble in school. Why didn't he walk away?

The story of Joshua Wilkerson isn't so well known. A skinny white boy, brutally beaten to death by murdered an Hispanic illegal alien, his body was found bound by the neck, hands, and feet, head covered, he was doused with hydrocarbons and set ablaze. His mother was also shocked when she open the casket. How many know Joshua Wilkerson's story? Have watched the trial of his killer? How many stories have been in the media?

I think Martin and Wilkerson should have been sensational stories in the news at about the same time. Why report on one and not the other? One, a brutally beaten young man set afire, the other a story about crime, self defense, and throwing the first punch.

Which two stories have more in common? I think Till and Wilkerson. Did they throw the first punch? Did they brutally beat their attacker(s)? I don't think so. By all accounts, Till and Wilkerson were good young men. I don't think anyone had to white wash their backgrounds.

What of Martin? An honest comment by someone, a young person, about Martin led to calls for his removal from that organization.

If the media, the justice system, and the nation cannot have an HONEST conversation about race, what hope is left?

Oprah's vision or justice? Race relations?

just my humble opinions