(Community Matters) I haven’t been following the George Zimmerman trial and was not aware of Rachel Jeantel, the Florida teen who was on the phone with Trayvon Martin when he was killed.
There’s evidently a significant conversation around Rachel’s testimony, not about its substance (or perhaps but that’s not what I’m reading), about her English, her obvious poor education and her looks. This essay in Ebony slams what its two Caribbean immigrant authors term as Black bourgeoisie disdain and commentors call self-loathing.
Salon notes (“the Smearing of Rachel Jeantel”) Rachel’s poor diction, hood-ish venacular and social media history are being used to discredit her by Zimmerman’s defense lawyers (as you’d expect of defense lawyers pursuing every avenue to exonerate their client) in front of an all white jury. I’m hoping the jury realizes it isn’t Ms. Jeantel on trial, nor even the parents & social institutions failing kids like Rachel.
Community Matters 