Sometimes we just don't wanna see it

So today, I'm looking at the CNN news of the UNC student that was killed. I remember when it first happened, my father saying it had to be a boyfriend or the girl was sneaking around but alas this is not a soap opera, this is real life. The girl was murdered for her money and not a Sean Taylor shot in the leg die later, she was shot in the temple, so there was an intent to murder. But the topic of this post and clear terrible reality of this situation is that this scholarship, award winning, pre-med, double major, Phi Beta Kappa white female college student was killed by two thuggish looking black men from Durham. The fact never hit me harder than clicking on the CNN.com link and looking at the three posted pictures. The first is of the young 17 year old Lovette who can be described as a young black man with corn rows parted to the side with beads. The second is of the 22 year old Atwater who has less neat corn rows pushed to the back with a huge tattoo down the side of his neck. The third picture is of Ms. Carson I can only aptly describe as an angelic, average face. The three pictures apart don't say much but in succession alongside the story that say a thousand words. The two black faces with no remorse and adorned in thug culture characteristics next to the school picture of the white girl only serve in some minds as a validation for the stereotypical thoughts of both.



I can tell you that there will be many people that will sound off immediately on the comment board for this article about the thugs in Durham and that you should have known. And honestly....I can't blame them. The CNN writers probably could have portrayed this in a lighter mood for the killers but there is no getting around the clear image of the two young black men charged for the murder of the young white women in successive pictures. For an already outraged mind, the portrayal of these figures is significant.



As a young black man, this hits me hard because of the caricatures of the black males. I saw these guys and just said oh no....why? I frequently have discussions with my nephew as to his style of dress and the way he manners his hair. I ask him why you gotta have long hair? Why you gotta wear baggy clothes? His answers never quite adequately address why, but more of why not. Well this is why not. Because when everybody is looking for answers of why a promising young girl was senselessly killed they now see two black men that by societal standards would be percieved as killers. My nephew is no dummy and he is a great kid, but if you plopped him on the screen he would look just like the guys on this screen or just like the Sean Taylor muderers and it has nothing to do with him being black. I would not fit on that screen. I smile in pics, have short well groomed hair, and there are no tattoos on my neck. I also don't do stupid things like put my middle finger up to the camera, flash wads of cash on my myspace page, or have a million half naked pictures up of me in my bathroom. I don't do that.


So as I look at these pictures, I see what I don't want to see and I acknowledge what alot of people will have expected to see. Two young black killers who look like stereotypical black thugs. And if you are walking around right now with corn rows and a tattoo on your neck and you look as that white person walks to the other side of the street to avoid you, don't get mad. Blame the two guys that didn't know that you didn't wanna be in the thug club.