Race, America and the Justice System: Examining the George Zimmerman Trial

If a Latino man shoots and kills a black teenager in a hoodie, should race be a factor in his trial?
The world is watching the trial of George Zimmerman–the self-appointed neighborhood watchman that shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
Ever since the name “Trayvon Martin” entered the public consciousness in March 2012 there has been one prevailing theme in the media and around the water cooler: Race.
Yet in the courtroom, where Zimmerman is now standing trial for second-degree murder in Martin’s death, it’s the elephant in the room and is scarcely mentioned.
The judge has made it clear that statements about race and phrases like “racial profiling” will be strictly limited.
Though it isn’t the focus inside the courtroom, it continues to surface, like in the testimony of Rachel Jeantel–the young black woman who was talking to Martin on the phone the night he was killed.
JeffriAnne Wilder is an assistant professor of Sociology at the University of North Florida. She joins The Takeaway to discuss how race has played out in the Zimmerman trial so far and how it might affect the trial.
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