Soon after the jury’s verdict acquitting George Zimmerman of the murder of Trayvon Martin, writer and theologian Jim Wallis wrote an article entitled “Lament from a White Father.” In it, he calls our attention to the fact that we still live largely in a segregated society — one where life’s events are played out before two separate audiences whose interpretations of them will be far different — unable to be reconciled even by people with good intentions and who feel they harbor no racial prejudice. In his piece published on the day after the verdict he stated:
“This is one of those painful moments which reveal an utterly segregated society, in reality and perception alike. White people have almost no idea of what black people are thinking and feeling — even the parents of their children’s friends from school or sports teams who are black. Trust me: Most white people over this past weekend, whether conservatives or liberals, had almost no idea of what was happening in virtually every black family in America.”