Processing the Trayvon Martin Case: We are the Justice System

For days I’ve been trying to gather my thoughts and emotions together and express how I’m feeling about the Trayvon Martin case. I’m still not quite ready. But my husband is. 

Here’s what he had to say and I find that my sentiments mirror the same.

What is more disheartening about the death of Trayvon Martin isn’t the failure of the justice system, but some of the opinions and comments being made by media pundits, politicians, but more importantly people.

The Internet has created armchair commentators out of all of us, but with it comes a disassociation from the events we comment on and the people involved in them.

Trayvon wasn’t just a young, black kid killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, by a man who let his bigotry dictate his actions — He was an intelligent kid who represented our future. Not just of this nation, but of the world. A child like ALL others who will usher the world into a brighter future when we are all old and gray or no longer on this Earth.

Trayvon was somebody’s child. He is a son to a grieving father and the joy in a mother’s tears. He was a best friend to his teammates and a first love for some young girl. He had a family who loved him and now a nation who mourns him.

There is a reason this is getting national attention. We can attribute it to sensationalism, the media, political posturing, and a myriad of other reasons, but ultimately I feel that his death touched a part of us we tend to ignore far too often–fear through the sense of injustice. The part of us that sits alone at night and wonders if their teenage kid will come home when hanging out late with friends. The part of us that worries if their daughter is safe walking home from school. The part of us that questions the actions of every person who interacts with their children from store clerk to teacher.

Everyone can relate regardless of whether they have children, because everyone HAS children. We like to believe that it takes a village to raise a child and this is a clear example of why that rings true today. Trayvon represented the love of those who have them, the hope of those who want them, and the joy of those who will never know them. He, like all children belong to all of us, for we are responsible for ensuring that our future in them is safe and secure. We are responsible for raising them with the fundamentals of living a good life and charged with protecting them until such time where they can protect their own children. It is a cycle that is continually repeating itself as a way to ensure that we as a people, grow from generation to generation. On the day Trayvon died, the justice system didn’t fail. The police didn’t fail. Society didn’t fail — We failed.

We are the justice system. We are the police. We are teachers. We are parents. We are neighbors. We are friends. We are family. When Trayvon died, (we) the people of this nation, failed to do our job. When Trayvon died, we relized the cycle was broken.

Day 2: Fruit #marchphotoaday

All. Day. Long. I tried to upload this picture from my phone. All. Day.

Twitter was trippin’ and Instagram was trippin’. Social media just would not let me be great and get my #pictureflow together.

A gannnng of hours and a couple of updates and reboots later, here’s my Day 2 picture for the March Photo a Day challenge.

What’s on Your Bedroom Playlist?

Mmm-hmm. With today’s post I’m gettin’ all up in yo’ bedroom biznazzz!

Music plays a special part in romantic relationships. Why else do we go through so much to pick the “perfect” song for the first dance at a wedding?

There’s something about a song lyric being able to convey the emotions and feelings we simply can’t conjure up with our own words. Like this:

“You found me such a mess
And still, you took my hand
And held me out of numbness
Became my truest friend”

Sweet, right?

It’s no surprise then, that music and the bedroom go hand in hand. Special things happen when certain songs get played at the right time, if you know what I mean. The legendary concept of “the mood” comes to mind here.

Unfortunately for us at the moment (and I’m just keeping it real) with a one year old sleeping in our bedroom, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” gets heard more often than our best love making jams. *sigh* That’ll change this year, though.

Once we do move, you betta believe that iPod playlist will be on and cracking!

I’m talking real, grown folk music. None of that “Kiss Me Thru the Phone” business!

Here are some quick “steamy” picks from yours truly:

“Sex Therapy” – Robin Thicke

“So Gone” - Jill Scott

“Love Scene” – Joe

“Say Yes” – Floetry

“Sweet Love” – 112

“Stop the World” - Maxwell

I think it would be fun to share…

What’s on your bedroom playlist?

Birthday Fun = Me, My Boo, and some Fondue!

To celebrate my man’s special day (today is his actual birthday, yay!) I treated him to a lovely dinner at The Melting Pot restaurant in Torrance, CA. I had heard some mixed reviews about it, but they were mostly good. I was excited to check it out since neither of us had ever been there before.

Side note: This time of year will always be kind of crazy with Thanksgiving, his birthday, and the baby’s birthday all within a span of 14 days. Not to mention Christmas is right around the corner (pray for me, ya’ll!). But I wanted to make sure I set some time aside to celebrate him, and this seemed like the place to do it. So, we got dressed up, left the baby with Nana and made our way to our 7pm dinner reservation.

The restaurant was spacious and dimly lit, with a cozy feel. Perfect for a date! And I have to mention that the music was GREAT! As a huge music lover I quickly took notice of the songs that were being played (old school 90s R&B jams to be exact) and found myself swaying and singing along repeatedly! It was a nice touch to this special occasion.

If you’ve never been, how it works is that you pick out a four course meal that includes a cheese, salad, entree, and dessert. They provide you with things like chips, bread, veggies, etc to dip in the fondue for the savory items and the chocolate of your choice for sweet items.

If you’re still scratching your head, here’s the actual definition:

We were both very pleased with the experience! The food was good and so was the service, which is a rare combination these days.

I will warn you and say that this place is not cheap! The menu is expensive and it’s one of those places where you pay more for the experience than for the food (kinda like Cold Stone Creamery). But, as I said, I wanted to treat my husband – so I made an exception from my frugal ways! I was not at all disappointed in my choice.

I would definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something different to do for date night other than your typical dinner and a movie. We talked, sang, acted silly, ate, ate, and ate until our hearts were content!