The high today in Central Arkansas was 89 degrees, but I
wore my large, black hoodie to work anyway. I must’ve been asked 10 or more
times, “Are you cold?” – but “nope” was all I had to say. I didn’t wear the
hoodie as a fashion statement. No, I wore it more as a social (or political if
you prefer) statement. I wore it because of Trayvon Martin’s wrongful death not
resulting in justice. And, I wore it in protest of George Zimmerman’s acquittal
for walking free in his blatant role in Martin’s wrongful death.
I’m not sure anybody got the protest; I only explained it to
a couple of people who I knew would truly understand. The biggest reason for
not owning up to the silent, peaceful protest was that I didn’t believe babbling
about it was appropriate to the cause, after all, I wasn’t doing this for my
own good – I was doing it to prove a point, even if some (maybe most) people
didn’t “get it.” But, because of that – because it might not have had the
impact I hoped it might - here’s this blog post.
We are not allowed to wear hoodies at my workplace, because
apparently they are considered “unprofessional” even though it’s merely just a
jacket meant to keep one warm. We are allowed to wear jackets of other types,
but not hoodies. Other jackets are apparently professional, but hoodies are
not. What they mean to say by this rule is that they think hoodies are
thuggish. To them wearing a hoodie carries a negative connotation. They are
profiling based on clothing. Hell, hoodies are just plain comfortable. That’s
why I wear them. I’m not sure if this was a new rule or one that I just was
never made aware of until later this winter, but I always wore my hoodie to and
at work without being bothered about it. The day my boss told me I could no
longer wear my hoodie at work was one of the few times I’ve ever let my irritation
show through at work. The irritation wasn’t toward my boss – he was doing what
his boss told him to do – my irritation was because I knew why this rule was
instituted. It was instituted for the same reason Trayvon Martin was stalked by
George Zimmerman, which later resulted in his tragic death. It was instituted
because of its negative connotation or the stereotype it has.
I, of course, didn’t know Trayvon Martin as almost none of
us who’ve been caught up in the George Zimmerman trial did, so I can’t say
whether or not Martin considered himself to be a “thug.” I won’t subject a
guess as to whether or not he was. Zimmerman supporters who say he was a “thug”
don’t really know either; they’re just saying it based on those stereotypes and
their own racial insecurities and bigotries. But, here’s the thing that so many
people fail to realize, mostly because of their ignorance, whether or not
Trayvon Martin was a “thug” should not have had anything to do with what
Zimmerman did or the outcome of his trial. Martin’s “thugness” or “non-thugness”
was irrelevant.
He may have worn his hoodie that night because of fashion
purposes. Or maybe he wore his hoodie that night for the same reason I wear my
hoodie, because he was simply cold. His hoodie was a key part in why Zimmerman
followed him. As a result his hoodie played a large part in his death. But,
Martin shouldn’t have been profiled for his hoodie, for the same reason that
nobody should ever think certain things of me for wearing mine. It’s just a
piece of clothing for God’s sake.
I feel that Martin was killed in at least partial malice and
that Zimmerman should’ve been held accountable for his death. I feel that a
great injustice was done in Zimmerman being set free. For that reason I chose
to wear my hoodie to work today, despite it being summer, despite it being hot.
Even though I work inside, it was still an uncomfortable protest, but I felt it
was an appropriate and important protest. If people didn’t get it or if they
still don’t get it after reading this so be it, I felt it was the right thing
to do for Trayvon Martin and a great injustice.
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