Comments on: Are Latinos Racist? TWLC’s Viviana Hurtado on NPR’s Tell Me More with Michel Martin Talks About Trayvon Martin’s Killing

By: Shepard

Shepard — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 03:42:40 +0000

Nobody calls Obama a White-African-American so its a double standard from the Black community.

Most biracial people tend to embrace their ethnic heritage and identify with it because they tend to look more like their ethnic parent. Zimmerman identifies himself as “Hispanic” on official documents and he does look more Hispanic than White so I don’t see why critics keep trying to call him “White” and play up the black/white racial tensions in media. Because Zimmerman’s last name is Germanic Jewish in origin, left extremist have even played up the hate against the Jewish community.

By: tomas

tomas — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 04:30:24 +0000

A White Latino? Everyone was “comfortable” that this was going to be a White on Black incident. That is why there is so much public outcry.
I have heard from a reporter that Trayvon and Zimmerman were fighting…with Trayvon on top and then Zimmerman on top. I guess neitherone wanted to “back down”.This is turning out to be a Latino vs Black fight just like in the prison systems. And if you are trying to bring Whites into this episode then in the future you will need to refer to Obama as a White Black.

By: Demasiado Bustelo

Demasiado Bustelo — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:15:37 +0000

Al,

Great question: “A better question is whom does he identify with most?” As a Floridian I feel somewhat qualified to answer that question in this particular context. Sanford, which is a suburb of the Orlando area, has a racist past. it may still have a racist present as there are many people who are weirdly racist still living there. This is not hearsay, my brother works in the Orlando area and he has encountered some of these characters.

I would say by the 911 sound bytes we have heard, the area he lives in and its prevailing history he may very well identify with the majority race in America.
According to Richard Cohen of the Southern Poverty Law Center, while testifying at a hearing before the DOJ in Miami, FL, “Trayvon represents the hundreds of thousands of African-American men and boys in Florida who are viewed by our criminal and juvenile justice system as sub-human and disposable.”
The question we must now ask is; How was George Zimmerman viewing Trayvon Martin? Was he acting based on perceived stereotypes or information he received from his parents?

Mark

By: Al Nall

Al Nall — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 00:27:43 +0000

Hi Vivi,

Love reading your blog, you’ve definitely inspired me. This whole Trayvon Martin incident has me a bit perturbed. First of all George Zimmerman doesn’t sound like a Latino name to me and I only heard Mr. Zimmerman described as “Hispanic” by a family member, after some media commentators and interviewees began portraying the killing as case of “white privilege.” I believe labeling him as Hispanic was designed to generate sympathy for him as a minority group member. A better question is whom does he identify with most?

Hope you’re well!