Trayvon Martin & Joe Oliver

Trayvon Martin and Joe Oliver: Are Blacks the Catalyst of Racism in America

By: Ehimwenma E. Aimiuwu
March 30, 2012

I just finished watching “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” on MSNBC, where Joe Oliver, a self-proclaimed friend of George Zimmerman, was interviewed. Oliver claimed to have known Zimmerman for 6 years as a great human being, but cannot say for certain about his violent past, the number of time he had called the police on Blacks people, or if he had anger issues.

Oliver is a classic example of why African-Americas need to stop calling Whites racists because we are the one fueling the racism in America, not Whites. Warren Ballentine of Radio One says that racism is based on race and power, where he implied that Blacks have no power to be racist against Whites, but Whites do. If his definition is right, then a Black with power (manager or customer service) who chooses to be nice to Whites in order to be look upon favorably at work, but mistreats Blacks because he perceives them to be powerless, is also a racist. You do not have to be a racist to the opposite race because you can also be racist to your own race from a position of power.

It is this undefined racism (Uncle Tom) among Blacks that have enhanced racism in America for centuries against themselves, while other races excel in America. Here is Oliver, a Black father who claims to be old enough to be Zimmerman’s father, defending a White (Hispanic) Zimmerman he clearly does not know against the killing of an innocent and defenseless Black child – Trayvon Martin. According to O’Donnell’s interview, Oliver has given up his job and income just to defend Zimmerman he only knows from work as an acquaintance, and his defense was based solely on his gut feelings. A Black father with a Black daughter of Trayvon Martins’ age, who even discussed the police killing tapes with her, is determined against all cost to defend a White acquaintance on gut feelings publicly against his Black daughter and the death of a Black child, just to be seen as favorable by White community.

Joe Oliver is the true killer of Trayvon Martin because when the Zimmermans of America realize that there are no Olivers to take their side, but would rather speak the truth, only then will the Zimmermans stop profiling us, stop disobeying police orders just to kill us, stop sending Blacks old enough to be their father as messengers, stop police from do bad investigations about us, stop treating us badly at work and in public, and maybe stop seeing us as inferior.

Until African Americans, and all of America, start taking public action against their form of racism, racism as we know it in America will never die. The Olivers of Black America are the very tools or catalysts others depend on to put Blacks aside for their progress in all aspects of America life. White racism against Blacks will die in America if America can make the Joe Olivers of America undesirable in our social life.