I'm in a bit of a quandry. How do I compartmentalize my feelings when I see another Black person making the news for something that oftentimes may be criminal? For the last week and half the local news(and now national) has been focusing on the tragic death of a female John Jay grad student by the name of Imette St. Guillen. St. Guillen (pictured above), 24, originally from Boston, MA was discovered dead on February 25th near the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn, N.Y. After a night of heavy drinking she was brutally raped and murdered allegedly by bouncer, Daryl Littlejohn (also pictured) at the last establishment she visited. What bothers me the most is the media's same old tactic of juxtaposing the menacing Black photo with the angelic (usually White)victim. Again..this is a horrific crime and this is not to obfuscate Littlejohn's alleged involvement. It is, however, time for people of color to demand respect when it comes to how these images are usually presented in the form of representation. Somehow that menacing photo translates into the Black everyman making it difficult for average law abiding Black citizens to be perceived as individuals. Imagine what someone thinks when it comes time to request a loan, seek employment or advance in this society. This is what it means to belong to a stigmatized group. If a White madman kills someone does anyone honestly perceive him/her to represent his race? Then why should this premise exist for a person of color? How often have you heard a Black person state that he hopes that it wasn't a person of color if he/she hears that a crime has been committed and the identity of the alleged assailant is initially unknown. Whether a movement is created to demand individuality of perception remains to be seen. Let's hope that your loan officer hasn't glanced at the Daily News before he approves of your loan.
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