Those of us who have followed the case of the Trayvon Martin death investigation, saw that it took peaceful protests and a Change.org petition to bring charges against Martin's killer, and then followed the trial, have taken note of the painful lessons from that case and an acquittal that many disagree with. The deep divide that this case has caused, which was deepened by the "Not Guilty" verdict, indicate that many people do not see that the inequalities that exist in our entire system, toward those who are marginalized. This includes those who are poor, disabled or belong to minority racial or ethnic groups. This case is not just about racial inequality but also about the use of guns but it shows that there are deep inequalities in the justice system. This was seen in that the victim, Trayvon Martin, was vilified and maligned as I have not seen any other victim be maligned, not only during the trial but to this very day. Martin was as much on trial as was his killer, Zimmerman; the verdict of "Not Guilty" only deepened the conviction of many that Trayvon's Martin's life was not seen is as valuable as that of a Caucasian person if they had been killed in that same scenario. Martin is now seen as a symbol of how many minority, poor and other marginalized persons are not always treated as equal. That is, the system does not often go by the famous "All men (and women) are created equal."Here are fictitious (but true to life!) instances of this same painful lesson that came out of that above-mentioned trial:
A boy from an affluent home shows learning and behavior problems so his parents take him to professionals, who research his issues. He is diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome; he is sent to the finest private schools where he receives top-notch services. Today he is a respected, successful writer. His peer, from a poor family, also shows similar learning and behavior issues. His single mom takes him to a professionals, who conclude, with little research, that this boy is "emotionally disturbed" and has a "personality disorder." He is sent to public "alternative" schools with watered-down curriculums, learns little, loses hope and, unemployable, he falls into deep depressions and enters the mental health system.
A pretty teen from an wealthy family vanishes. Her dad and other relatives, blessed with the resources to keep her story in the media, keep her case high-profile; she's found alive months later and today is successful and much-esteemed. Another, younger girl, from a poor family, vanishes at about the same time. Her family lack the resources and support to get her any media attention. Today, years later, this girl is still missing.
An affluent woman is diagnosed with cancer and is, of course, quite upset and distressed. Her mom tells her about a top-notch cancer treatment center in a nearby state. As money is not an issue, this woman and her family move so she can take advantage of this center's excellent care; today she remains cancer-free. Another woman, who uses government-funded health insurance, also is diagnosed with cancer and also is devastated. However, she "freaks out," as most health care providers and doctors won't take her insurance due to lousy government re-imbursement. After much searching, she finds care but not before her cancer has spread.
In a wealthy city, you can find a private neighborhood where the streets are gated, crime is very low, people drive fancy cars, children can play in the streets, people can ride bicycles and homes are large, beautiful and well-built. Nearby, another neighborhood features many small, crumbling, drab "dumps." Crime, including drug dealings and violent crime, are commonplace. Drivers don't stop as this is a public neighborhood; children dare not play in the streets or people ride bicycles.
A celebrity begins a Facebook account for self-promotion. He has very little trouble "adding" people to his page, thanks to his name recognition. His product sells very well. His peer, an "ordinary" man, who is seeking justice for his brutally murdered sister whose killer is up for parole, also sets up a Facebook account. Desperate to raise awareness about his sister and to get support, he seeks to "add" people to his page. Multiple times, Facebook warns him of "abusing" it, blocks him from adding other users (longer each time) and finally de-activates his account. He has to "start all over again" to shore up enough support to circulate a petition to the parole board to keep the murderer in prison.
A boy from an affluent home attends the finest private schools, gets a top-notch education and, after graduate school, he starts up a business that soon becomes hugely successful and has made him a billionaire. His peer from a poor home, equally bright and talented, goes to mediocre public schools, drops out and sees little hope for his future. Desperate, he turns to drug-dealing to get his cash.
A celebrity is accused of a brutal murder; he is able to afford a "dream team" of high-powered, fast-talking lawyers. He is acquitted. His peer is accused of "assault on a police officer" without evidence. Unable to afford a private lawyer, an overworked, underpaid public defender is assigned to his case. After a short trial, this guy is sentenced to years in prison and to years of parole upon release.
A bright, motivated, well-trained woman with epilepsy applies for the career of her choice, having prepared her resume and done all she could to make a good impression. To "keep it real" and avoid being accused of dishonesty, she discloses her epilepsy on her application. She never hears back; it takes her months to find a job. Her peer, a nondisabled person, equally prepared, lands a job with little trouble; self-disclosure and discrimination are not issues.
A caring, respected, bright, well-educated woman, diagnosed with autism and epilepsy, is unable to conceive and searches out agencies, hoping to adopt. She discloses her challenges but feels that her credentials would more than make up for her disabilities. Wrong. Agency after agency turn her down. Her peer, without disabilities, and also possessing a good reputation, a big heart and an education, easily is approved and soon her empty arms are filled with a beautiful baby and, months later, with another baby.
For each of these example there are many more instances of inequality and there are many other examples that I could have given. We often hear the phrase "All people are created equal." But I wonder, judging from every area of our system and from our culture and actions, if we actually believe this. We can see the way that resources are so UNEVENLY distributed in every area of society and culture, in health care, education, the criminal justice system, our social class rankings, our wealth and income distribution and in our social relationships.
Yes, I know that when it comes to functioning, we are definitely not equal. There are those in positions of power and authority who tells us what to do and can make decisions for us that affect our lives. There are the greater number of us who must follow their orders and live with the consequences of their decisions. There are our lawmakers who create our system and the rest of us who must live with this system that we did not create. There are the "1 percent" of the "Wall Streeters" who own and control most of our wealth and the rest of us who may live in decent comfort, struggle to make ends meet or exist without enough to eat or clothe ourselves. There are the majority of us without disabilities who are pretty much able to live and function as we wish. There are those who disabilities, visible or invisible, whose impairments greatly limit their options in many areas of life and who must live with limitations. And on a world scale, there are those of us in North America who own (or at least experience) most of the word's wealth. And there are many, many more people on the other side of the world, who often exist in deep poverty, hunger, want and destitution; many, including children, die of hunger or disease.
Yet we are all created equal in personhood, when it comes to being. This truth is not only according to our own experience but according to the Scriptures. We all have the same basic needs for safety, food, clothing and shelter. We all want to be happy and to be loved. When we are hurt, we all inwardly are stung. Our bodies bleed when we are cut. We all get sick. We laugh when we are amused (and maybe uncomfortable). We cry when we are heartbroken. We feel guilt when we have done wrong. We all are born. We all will die. According to the Bible, we have all sinned and we all need a Savior; we all have equal access to God's grace and favor though faith in Christ.
But it is because of our inequalities in functioning and our ignorance, prejudices and intolerance, that cause so many of us to treat each other as unequal persons not just in functioning but as unequal persons also in personhood. Even in churches, where our congregations formally claim to serve and worship a God Who has created all of us as equal, we see exclusion, snobbery and cliques. I can say this from experience because I have experienced these at the hands of fellow parishioners; I'm sure many other people can share similar stories of their experiences in churches. Yes, I know there are many wonderful people in every congregation but even people of faith are human. And I see cliques and exclusion on Facebook, where many in my social networks talk only to each other and ignore everyone else. Cliques, snobbery and exclusion are when people stick only with those who are "their kind" and ignore everyone else.
Over a year ago, I saw this status update on Facebook, "All people are created equal." Underneath this status, a person commented, "Too bad they don't stay that way." This blog has been my lament of this person's comment on the status. Actually, it seems that we all start out as equals in that we come into the world "in our birthday suits" and we become equal, one again, only when we leave the world, to slip into eternity and stand before our Creator and answer to Him about what we have done with our lives.
This is the core of what adversity, sorrow and tragedy do for us: They re-enforce the truth that we are indeed created equal. But as many of us survey the recent Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case, we wonder if even tragedy does this for many of us. We need to change hearts as well as laws that are on the side of the more fortunate and privileged rather than in favor of marginalized persons.
Photo courtesy of MorgueFile.com Photo by Richard b This photo can be found here
