Kimberly Moffitt, assistant professor of American Studies, and Michelle Scott, associate professor of history, were guests on the “Marc Steiner Show” on Monday to discuss the case of Trayvon Martin, a young African American man who was killed by a neighborhood watchman in February.
The conversation turned to the role and perception of black men in society, and Moffitt related the incident to her worries for her own son.
“There has been a study done that shows that, really interestingly, for young, African-descended boys in this country, around the age of 8 or 9 there’s a shift that happens where we no longer see them as these cute little boys, running around, having fun and enjoying life, but that they then become a threat and seen as a danger to society. So when I think of my 7 year old who is about to turn 8, that becomes a concern as to how people will relate to him,” she said.
Scott related the way black men are seen to the legacy of slavery in America. “You still have the victimized black body, and still that legacy and history, just in the twenty-first century.” She said.
The full interview can be heard here.
Tags: AmericanStudies, CAHSS, History
