By Chris Hoenig
In an unusually personal discussion, President Obama questioned claims that race did not play a role in the shooting of Trayvon Martin and the subsequent acquittal of George Zimmerman, telling reporters, “Trayvon Martin could have been me, 35 years ago.”
The President’s visit to the White House briefing room was a surprise, and the message he delivered was clear. “It doesn’t mean we’re in a post-racial society or that racism has been eliminated,” Obama said, although he urged Americans not to “lose sight” that there has been racial progress in America. Still, he said, Black Americans have been informed by years of racial injustice. “The African-American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history that doesn’t go away,” he said.
