The Ferguson Dilemma

Book excerpt: Since George Zimmerman's acquittal in shooting Trayvon Martin (2013) and Michael Brown's death in Ferguson, MO (2014), America has not been the same. Seemingly overnight, racial tensions we have not seen to this extent, since the Civil Rights Movement, have erupted. Only a few years prior to the Trayvon Martin incident, the first African American president graced the word's highest political office. Many believe we were embarking a post-racial society. Some continue to believe that media has exaggerated racial biases. Regardless of views, there is a needed answer to the explosion of tension we are facing on social media, in our school systems, and on our streets.The answer could be more simple than we believe but may take a deeper examination of our racial past if we are ever able to come to true solutions. At a time we need answers more than ever, could we be asking the wrong questions? Do we need reconciliation or healing? The problem with reconciling before doing the difficult work of healing, compassion and empathy is that we will keep creating bridges over the root of the problem. But together we can dig under the bridges that have sustained us to uproot past pains and find solutions.