@hawkeye10,
Trayvon Martin's parents would be exactly the kind of people that Bill Cosby would point to as an example of what other black parents should be doing.
For one thing,
both of them were involved in their child's life--he had a father who was very much a part of his life, and who imparted real values to him, and expected him to live by them, and his mother did the same. Like Cosby, Martin's parents valued and promoted education for their children--Martin's mother is a college graduate, and his older brother is a college senior.
And they fully expected, and wanted, Trayvon to follow in his brother's footsteps and go on to college as well, and that goal was shared by Trayvon as well. That's why his parents were upset that he was goofing around in his new school, they were trying to get him to settle down and focus on his schoolwork--these people value education, and they wanted their child to have a successful future.
Part of the tragedy for black parents like that is, no matter what they did, to try to raise a decent child with good values and goals in life, a neighborhood watch volunteer took one look at him, one dark evening in February 2012, and all he saw was "a f---ing punk."
That's tragic. Hawkeye, it really is. And that's what's really wrong, and harmful, about racial profiling.
And these parents have dealt with this tragedy with such dignity, and grace, and lack of hatred, that it is truly remarkable. They have started a foundation in their son's memory and they are trying to make something good come out of his needless death.
I read this week that Martin's parents have been meeting with publishers regarding a book, and that there is great interest in their book, and their story, of how they have coped with the soul searing tragedy in their lives, and the vilification and character assassination of their son that has been promoted all over the internet, by right-wing sites such as Conservative Treehouse, and by the misguided Zimmerman supporters in this thread. That they lost their son is bad enough, these parents have also been brutally assaulted with all kinds of lies and distortions about their child, and that must be incredibly difficult for them to tolerate.
So, I'm sure that their book will be published, and I'm sure there will be great interest in it, and perhaps it will also turn in a film. I hope so. I am interested in their story, and I wish them great success with the endeavor. And I'm sure Bill Cosby does too--he knows what it's like to lose a son. His son Ennis was the victim of a homicide, also committed by a white man.
