I have been very
preoccupied and deeply disturbed lately, as have many people across the
country, with the recent acquittal of George Zimmerman. I very much agree that
the not-guilty verdict was a clear manifestation of white supremacy. It was
clear to me that the jury being mostly white had much to do with Zimmerman’s
acquittal, however I had to grapple with the fact that the jury was all female.
At first I came to the conclusion that the gender of the jury had very little
to do with the verdict, that this was mostly an issue of the jury’s race. But
the longer I thought, the more the jury’s gender began to matter.
I
study geography, and as a feminist geographer I analyze things in terms of how power
dynamics manifest themselves across space. In Trayvon’s case, I analyze how the
place of his murder was gendered, raced, and classed. The neighborhood of
Trayvon’s murder was raced white, as Zimmerman found him suspicious for his
otherness, the fact that he looked like he did not belong there—the fact that
he was black. The neighborhood was also wealthy and had been experiencing
robberies; yet another reason to other Trayvon, as people of color are
considered outsiders in wealthy communities and likely to commit crime. This
type of neighborhood, one that contains only homes, is gendered feminine. Homes
are the domain of women; the domestic is where women and children are kept
safe. But who keeps them safe? Well, men. White men. White men who view
unwanted men (e.g. Trayvon) as threats not only to themselves but to their
families. This idea rests on the logic that men are either protectors or
aggressors, with women (and children) being the protected. So, when a man like
Zimmerman is put into a “law” enforcing position, he sets out with the intent
to other and suspect people who “do not belong” in his neighborhood, even
though Trayvon’s father’s girlfriend was a resident there. In a society that
portrays black men as violent and dangerous, in a world of male protectors and
aggressors, Trayvon was concluded to be an aggressor by a Zimmerman that had no
evidence to suspect him. Trayvon was concluded to be an aggressor too, when he
punched Zimmerman, although he was being stalked unnecessarily and protecting
himself. So it was obvious to me that gender and race played huge roles in
Trayvon’s murder.
So,
what about the gender and race of the jurors? If these women also rely on this
idea of masculine protection from “dangerous” men, then they believe
themselves, as white women, to benefit from this system. Although this system strips
them of their autonomy and their own decision-making power, it is obvious that the jurors are willing to comply with this system. One of the women even said in an interview with CNN that she would feel
comfortable accepting Zimmerman as a vigilante in her neighborhood (http://colorlines.com/archives/2013/07/the_craziest_moments_from_zimmerman_ juror_b37s_cnn_interview.html). So these jurors, as white women, have
been taught not only to fear black men, that black men pose a threat even when
unarmed and faced with someone who is armed, but also that they, as white
women, also play a role in this system as the protected. They have been taught
not to question their protectors, but accept that their protectors know best
and have their best interest at heart. They
also continue to benefit from a system that paints white women as the most pure
creature: the least likely to be suspected criminals, the least likely to be
Trayvons. The story of George Zimmerman’s acquittal paints not only a story of
white supremacy, but of female submission, and white female purity and
innocence. The acquittal of George Zimmerman shows the undying belief of white
people in police systems that abuse, harass, and kill people of color because these
are the people that whites, especially white women, think they need protecting
from. But the necessity of protection only exists with the idea of a constant
aggressor, a constant other. What the Zimmerman trial shows is that our law
enforcement and judiciary system rely not on catching criminals and putting
them through a trial, but to criminalize groups of people, and let those that
perpetuate the current power structure to walk free. The jury that acquitted
George Zimmerman ensured that in this country, to be black is to be criminal,
and to be white and female is to be submissive.
