All of us have heard enough of that word over the last 2-3 weeks in reference to the Trayvon Martin case. Did George Zimmerman profile Trayvon Martin? I strongly believe he did. Did he profile him because he was African-American and that he was wearing a hoodie? Again I strongly believe he did. Were there other factors in Zimmerman’s targeting Martin? May be his previous experience with young African Americans in his neighborhood? But was Zimmerman practically wrong so far? Ethically or morally we may say he was wrong but was he practically wrong so far?  What he did after this stage was, in my view, wrong. He followed Martin even after being told not to. Very likely he felt emboldened by the fact he had a gun on him and may be even with the knowledge that state laws would protect him if he had to use his gun. So he followed Martin and challenged him in spite of having a size disadvantage. And I think it was his post-profiling actions of Zimmerman that caused this terrible tragedy.

But coming back to the main question. Was Zimmerman practically (the operative word) wrong in profiling Martin? Is it really unfair for non-Blacks to click their car doors locked? To cringe when you encounter a Black teenager on a somewhat deserted road? Even though it is politically incorrect to say it, my answer is no. My feeling is that some Blacks themselves profile some Black teenagers. You’d say but I am not Black and I don’t understand the hurt that profiling causes and what right do I have to say that such profiling is justified? I am a dark-skinned Muslim and I have some moral grounds to say that.  I feel I have been profiled – not for criminal activity – but as a less important person, not deserving of the same prompt, courteous service that other clients got. So I know how hurtful that is. In the last few years Muslims, especially from certain countries, were profiled at airports. Was that wrong? Again ethically may be wrong but practically my answer would be “no”. There were enough incidents of Muslims from certain countries causing significant havoc to arouse that suspicion of anybody that fit that description.

Coming back to Black teenagers, even the President, in his speech 2-3 days ago, said, and I am paraphrasing “the African American community is not naive to know that black teenagers commit a disproportionate amount of crime, and Trayvon was more likely to have been killed by another Black teenager than by a Zimmerman”. Just Google the crime statistics of Black teenagers; different sites have their own spin to what those statistics mean but I have chosen one where there could be no question of racial bias. http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_5567.shtml. Having that knowledge in the back of your mind what should one do when you encounter a black teenager on a deserted road? Walk away; cross the street or say to yourself “I know he is a Black teenager but he likely comes from a dysfunctional family, he is poor, he was himself subject to violence and there is the history of slavery in this country; and in consideration of those factors, one should not profile this teenager and act the same way as if you had encountered Mark Zuckerman wearing a hoodie (a common comparison used these days). I think I would certainly cringe in that situation and even cross the street. A lot of very nice folks would do the same too. It is regrettable but it is a survival instinct.

So we are asked to have a dialogue about race between the races. I think the dialogue should be among Black leaders in particular and may be the rest of us as to how to improve the reputation of Black teenagers. The answers lie in improving the state of dysfunctional families; decreasing the incidence of deadbeat fathers and single/unwed mothers; decreasing the number of fatherless children; and improving poverty, education and violence in the community.