(The Root) — "I am Trayvon Martin" has become the rallying cry since anger over the teen's death arose, and even more so in the wake of the devastating verdict in the George Zimmerman trial.
But some insist that not everyone is Trayvon; that some are more like George Zimmerman because they share the same white privilege that undoubtedly played a factor in his acquittal. This YouTube video of a young woman taking down white activists who use the phrase has more than 300,000 views so far, and a Tumblr sending a similar mesage has gone viral.
In the same vein as the #WhitePrivilege Twitter hashtag comes the Tumblr We Are Not Trayvon Martin, a collection of stories, mostly from white people, illustrating how their privilege separates them from Trayvon Martin. "I am not Trayvon Martin," writes one contributor. "I am a middle class professional man who has … never been afraid to contact police to solicit help when I needed, because I knew that they would … assist me." Another woman writes that her children are not Trayvon because she "will not have to worry about either of them getting shot in the street because they are white."
The Tumblr has gotten mixed reviews on Twitter. Some say that they appreciate the sentiment, that it provides a much-needed perspective. Others say it's a self-indulgent way to participate in the discourse on race and the Zimmerman case.
Tracy Clayton is a writer, humorist and blogger from Louisville, Ky.