Letter: Martin coverage mixes up race
Dr. Jennifer Durham participates in today's discussion about the Trayvon Martin case at Adelphi. The event "Who are we as a nation? hosted a student/faculty panel where the participants took a reflective view of the the historical, cultural, political and legal implications of this case. (April 18, 2012) Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa
In response to the article "Adelphi discusses race, Martin case" [News, April 19], I find it interesting that the author begins the article by sharing a story of black students being pulled over in a "mostly white" neighboorhood, and quoting another student who feels he enjoys certain privileges because of his "whiteness."
As the article points out, the accused in the Martin shooting, George Zimmerman, is half Latino and looks Hispanic. However, the article seems to misrepresent the Martin tragedy as a black versus white issue.
While I agree that race was a factor in this tragedy, newspapers and TV news programs continue to distort the basic facts of this case.
Zimmerman will soon have his day in court and we may, at some point, understand why this tragedy occurred. However, to continue to imply that this is a black-white issue is irresponsible and only serves to further damage race relations in this country.
If Newsday implies that Zimmerman is white, despite having a Hispanic parent, why not then consider President Barack Obama to be white?
Robert Cordeiro, Merrick
