BY S.M.
Khalil Muhammad highlights some of the most ignorant thoughts historically posed by white scholars as to why black people have been condemned to criminal behavior throughout history. Muhammad points out that there was a time when Racial Darwinism became a leading theory for black disadvantage. Racial Darwinism claimed that black people were simply inherently less equipped for survival compared to whites. Although most would disagree with this today, the Trayvon Martin case seemed to faintly echo some of these shocking thoughts, painting a picture of friend Rachel Jeantel as of an entirely different species than that of American white-bred society (Muhammad, 38). Although Rachel herself was not on trial, she was portrayed in the media and on social networks to be untrustworthy because of her association with a different culture than what white Americans are used to. It was difficult for white Americans to trust Rachel’s testimony because she is considered to be aligned with a culture and race characterized by crime.
Khalil Muhammad highlights some of the most ignorant thoughts historically posed by white scholars as to why black people have been condemned to criminal behavior throughout history. Muhammad points out that there was a time when Racial Darwinism became a leading theory for black disadvantage. Racial Darwinism claimed that black people were simply inherently less equipped for survival compared to whites. Although most would disagree with this today, the Trayvon Martin case seemed to faintly echo some of these shocking thoughts, painting a picture of friend Rachel Jeantel as of an entirely different species than that of American white-bred society (Muhammad, 38). Although Rachel herself was not on trial, she was portrayed in the media and on social networks to be untrustworthy because of her association with a different culture than what white Americans are used to. It was difficult for white Americans to trust Rachel’s testimony because she is considered to be aligned with a culture and race characterized by crime.
Rachel was the last to speak to Trayvon right before he died, making her a key part of his trial. In a Piers Morgan’s interview with Rachel he asked, “Do you think they understand the world you come from?” It’s interesting that Rachel’s speech and demeanor suggests to Morgan that she is from an entirely different world than us, suggesting that Morgan and his audience is incapable of empathizing even though she is clear in her statements. Although George Zimmerman, Trayvon, and Rachel all live in close proximity, they are considered by the American public to be from “different worlds.” Labeling Rachel as, above all, a product of her environment (namely, her black environment), allows white Americans to disregard the content of her testimony. Making Rachel seem like an entirely different species relates back to Khalil Muhammad’s claim that crime is written into race (Muhammad, 93). It is possible that the jury felt completely unbiased towards Rachel’s testimony and simply did not feel there was evidence enough to convict Zimmerman. However, it is also possible that because of her distractingly different “culture” and race, white members of the jury associated her with dishonesty and criminality. If being from a black community and being raised within a context of black culture is assumed to be linked with crime, it would be difficult to listen to Jeantel’s testimony without suspicion. Is it possible to overcome such a deeply engrained notion and be heard for the content of your testimony rather than speech, appearance, and demeanor?
Just as Rachel was accused of not living in the world we do, she was also described by defense attorneys and by the American public as not even being able to speak English. Jeantel insisted that in her neighborhood, the way she speaks is completely normal. Jeantel’s struggle to be clear and get her message across was at times interpreted as disrespectful. Social media websites like Twitter bashed Jeantel for her appearance, her attitude, and mostly for her speech. Not only was Jeantel being judged and evaluated by a jury, but also by the American public. The census seemed to be that Jeantel was uneducated, which also led to distrust in her testimony. By the end of Jeantel’s testimony, it was almost as though she was the one on trial. In a blog post to PolicyMic, Marina Bolotnikova points out that Jeantel’s testimony highlights the structural disadvantages that many African Americans still experience today. Bolotnikova says that not only are people like Rachel victim to racial profiling, but also “linguistic discrimination.” Although most understood what Rachel was trying to get across, white Americans didn’t like the way she spoke, so she was not considered credible.
Works Cited
Bolotnikova, Marina, Rachel Jeantel’s Language is English—It’s Just Not Your English,
PolicyMic, July 2013, http://www.policymic.com/articles/52697/rachel
jeantel-s-language-is-english-it-s-just-not-your-english.
Kahlil Muhammad, The Condemnation of Blackness (Cambridge: Harvard University
Press, 2010), 38, 93.
It is sad to see that the one place where people are supposed to be unbiased is also a place where people won't even listen to a testimony carefully just because of someone's race. It negates the entire meaning of the court system, that everyone is entitled to a fair and just trial. How can people receive this type of trial when others can't move past the color of their skin? I think the idea of two separate worlds is interesting to think about. There is this imaginary wall put up by people with whites on one side and blacks on the other. Although I cannot answer this myself, why is this wall put up in the first place?
ReplyDeleteI agree Rachel. If I were a black woman on the stand, I might give up before I was even asked any questions if I faced an all white female jury. There seems to be a real flaw in the system. I can't blame Rachel for coming off as having attitude when her best friend was just murdered and she has little to no chance of her voice being heard. It's probably horribly frustrating.
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