A tale of two hoodies: Mark Zuckerberg vs. Trayvon Martin

In my opinion, the following blog post is so significant, it is my hope that every black blogger in the blogosphere will re-post it:

Why not invoke Charles Dickens given the dramatic times in which we are living? Two young men -- one still a minor. Two hoodies. One dies in his hoodie and the other becomes an overnight billionaire.

Trayvon Martin and Mark Zuckerberg both sported the hooded sweatshirts, known as hoodies, that are near-universal gear for those under 30, and beyond. Hey, even I've got a couple and maybe you do, too. People who support George Zimmerman claim that leftists want to make Trayvon Martin's death into a race issue when it is not -- even to the degree of blaming the victim for being killed by Zimmerman because he was wearing an ubiquitous hoodie.

"I think what's far more significant is what Trayvon Martin looked like on that night, Bill. Aside from the fact that he's dressed in that thug wear -- look at the size of him, he's not a little kid."

Geraldo Rivera to Bill O'Reilly Fox News

Never mind that George Zimmerman outweighed his teenage victim Trayvon by about 100 lbs, reportedly. The hoodie made Trayvon look like a hood justifying an attack by a neighborhood vigilante. Yet when Mark Zuckerberg appeared on Wall Street during the roadshow run-up to Facebook's IPO, his choice of a hoodie instead of a stiff suit was lauded as culturally cool.

Sure, Zuck caught some static from Wall Street haters who wear ties, but most saw his casual attire represented via hoodie as a nod to Silicon Valley style where what's in your brain is more important than what you're wearing. Indeed, Zuckerberg's hoodie is standard issue at Facebook's Palo Alto headquarters and bears a special mandala design inside that expresses FB's design construct and flow.

Star Jones recently pointed out the double standard inherent in how two young men wearing hoodies were treated in the public eye by the media. She was dismissed as just another angry black woman by others on the show, and right-leaning bloggers on the 'net.

 

But does Star have a point? Trayvon committed no crime -- he was merely walking home one fateful night after a trip to 7-11 for Skittles -- yet was accosted by a stranger as suspicious in part, it's claimed, because of his hoodie. When Mark Zukerberg wore a hoodie to launch Facebook's public stock offering, he was praised as an icon of a new generation representing the best of American values.

We can see this mirror in law enforcement practices. Study after study shows that young whites are more likely to use marijuana than blacks or Latinos, yet blacks are at least seven times more likely to get arrested for the same offense. Mark Zuckerberg was probably not a victim of New York City's [or Peoria's] terrible "Stop and Frisk" policy during his recent trip to Wall Street's halls of power. But who's the real gangsta here?

Some Wall Street analysts are questioning possible unethical behavior by Facebook's executives and its partner Morgan Stanley in "selective dissemination of information" that gave insider knowledge to some large investors but not others. FB's stock is being called "muppet bait for the masses" who didn't know that Facebook's quarter one earnings estimates had been cut mid-launch. The stock is now sinking like a stone in the NASDAQ stock echange. It's not clear how much Zuckerberg himself knew about the alleged financial shenanigans and shakedowns. But we all must be left wondering -- who would Geraldo name as the hood wearing "thug wear" now?

It's a tale of two hoodies where guilt and innocence are turned upside down, where one young man ends up rich and another ends up dead -- depending on whether you're white or you're black.

Cheryl Contee writes as Jill Tubman for the award-winning & top-ranked black political blog JackAndJillPolitics.com, which she co-founded in 2006. She is also the co-founder of Fission Strategy, which provides innovative social media & mobile services to nonprofits and foundations. Cheryl specializes in online advocacy, engagement, and communications. Follow Cheryl Contee on Twitter at @ch3ryl.

Black community divided over District 150

I was waiting for Pam Adams to write this story, but as of today, it has not happened. Maybe it's just me, but I think it is a significant news story when you have so many people in the black community being outspoken on any one topic. In my opinion, the local, main stream media is remiss in that they have not reported on the rift in the black community over the actions of the current Superintendent of Public Schools. 

"You don't have to like me, you don't have to love me, I'm asking you to respect what we're trying to do in our schools." 

Superintendent Grenita Lathan

Team Superintendent 

Rev. Tony Pierce said he had been among the group of ministers who met with Superintendent Grenita Lathan to discuss the four administrators' futures. At the Charter Oak BOE meeting he stated "I stand tonight in support of Dr. Lathan," he said, adding that she had been hired to be a "change agent." The Reverend Tony E. Pierce serves as Co-Senior Pastor of Heaven’s View Christian Fellowship; CEO of Heaven’s View Community Development Corporation and Co-Founder of the Community Development & Service Institute. 

Joyce Banks, stated in an editorial she sent in to the local newspaper, "We will not move forward with personnel at the helm who have so many personal ties to the community that radical change would be rendered virtually impossible. The skill set of the team necessary to turn a failing district around should be her call. Does it matter how many team members come from places outside the district if they are the right ones for the task?" Joyce K. Banks is a minister at Heaven's View Christian Fellowship Church and lives in Peoria. 

Pastor Harvey Burnett "I can only say that if we expect different results for our students, we cannot continue to do things the same as we have always done. Our children deserve an environment where the teacher will be just as accountable as the student is expected to be. Where the principal is actively engaged with both students and parents as opposed to hiding behind secretarial staff to deflect attention. We certainly have issues as a district, but a Supt. that is out of control IS NOT one of them." Pastor Burnett is the father of a District 150 student, founder of New Bethel COGIC of Peoria, IL; and the Peoria Assn. of Pastors For Community & Spiritual Renewal 

Board President Linda Butler "The board is aware some of you have come to express concerns about a personnel matter," Butler said before the public comment portion of the meeting. "We're ready to make difficult and unpopular decisions because a good future demands it." Linda Butler is Chaplain & Director of the New Promise Center at the Peoria South Side Mission

Team Principals and Teachers
Donald Jackson, "It's not just one or two people in the community who are concerned," The district has hired 11 people from North Carolina, Lathan's home town, for $1.5 million, but none are black males, while qualified people from Peoria are ignored. People with master's degrees are supervising those with Ph.Ds. While there is "a level of administration never had before," classroom aides are being cut to part time next year and some classrooms have 30 children. The money could be better spent. Jackson is the President of the Illinois and Peoria NAACP

Dr. Rita Ali, was one of the speakers at the Charter Oak news conference, who reiterated a theme - a "culture of constant fear" - that has come up at the last three board meetings in reference to Lathan's leadership style. "The same superintendent that recommended Mrs. Coleman from her role are principal, just a few months ago rated her as an outstanding leader in the top five percent and with great potential to be a great superintendent one day," "I question the evaluation " of the principals, by "an individual from North Carolina with no central management experience," and "a letter filled with run-on sentences and typos. Is she qualified to evaluate" these principals with "an untested evaluation tool" Dr. Ali is the grandmother of District 150 students, Director of Diversity at Illinois Central College; was on the search committee that brought Lathan to town; on the Board at Manual Academy and is a member of the African American Leadership Alliance.

Board member Martha Ross, asked about letters sent to each of the four in question, asking them to voluntarily, privately take a specific reassignment, with a specific lower salary. The district's attorney said all four refused, and the process became public. That gave the administration the option to assign the four to a variety of positions, potentially with even lower salaries. Ross called it punishment. "We should not wait until the end of the year to let our staff, administrators know that they are not up to par," she said. Martha Ross is Principal in Martha Ross Travel Solutions; a member of the African American Leadership Alliance; the Board of the Illinois Alliance of Information and Referral Services; and Director Lifeline Family Services

Board member Lynn Costic, criticized Lathan for earlier saying District 150 is "dysfunctional." "It's an insult," she said, adding "I do not believe changes should be made that are the result of retaliation or personal preferences. This district needs administrators who have great relationships with parents and children. This isn't change for improvement." Lynn Costic is owner of Mayah's Just for Kids

Kristie Hubbard, who said she had been Lathan's Realtor, told board members she understood their position, but the process for making decisions to reclassify the four was flawed. Hubbard is the mother of a District 150 student, wife of the Pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church; a former assistant principal at Manual Academy and current Quest Academy board member.

Rev. Harold Dawson Jr. compared the four to Trayvon Martin, the unarmed teen shot and killed by a Neighborhood Watch volunteer in Sanford, Fla. "No blood was spilled in the street but their character has been assassinated," Dawson said. Dawson, was also among the group of ministers who met with Superintendent Grenita Lathan last week to discuss the four administrators' futures. Dawson is the father of a District 150 student, the Pastor of New Hope Deliverance Church;  Chairman of the Religious Affairs of the NAACP; Commissioner on the Greater Peoria Airport Authority; Director Illinois One Family One Child; his father was/is the Chairman Peoria Christian Leadership Conference and a founder of the African American Leadership Alliance.

Quotes excerpted from pjstar, peoria story, week, ciproud.

Please stop glorifying the hoodie

Miami Heat showing support of Trayvon Martin 

First and foremost, Trayvon Martin came under suspicion, was followed and subsequently shot to death by neighborhood “watchman” Zimmerman because he was a young, black man. The fact that Trayvon had on a hoodie was simply happenstance – people wear hoodies.

It’s unfortunate that some appear to be taking this opportunity to glorify the wearing of the hoodie. I have detested the hoodie for years now. I personally find a person – any person wearing anything that hinders me from seeing their face somewhat unsettling.

Although this is the equivalent of saying that a woman wearing a short dress is looking to be harassed, there is no denying that the one item of clothing that the vast majority of people committing a crime have in common is the hoodie (I can attest to this fact because I listen to the police scanner regularly). It doesn't matter if that person is black, white, yellow or red; if a crime is being committed, the hoodie is mentioned as a descriptor, nine times out of ten.

So please, stop with the glorification of the hoodie. Take the Trayvon Martin tragedy as an opportunity to remind our young people how you will be prejudged and/or stereotyped based upon what you wear. Sure, it's a free country... you have a right to wear whatever you want, be it a hoodie, baggy pants or anything else; just know, you will be pre-judged accordingly, especially if you happen to be a young, black, man.

... and yes, even if it's raining outside and you are trying to keep your head dry and you pull up your hood - you can still be Zimmermaned.