First Lady Michelle Obama called Trayvon Martin’s death a ‘tragedy’ and said
Americans should rally around the teen’s parents as they mourn.
In an interview with National
Public Radio Tuesday, Mrs Obama said she hopes the February
19 shooting in Sanford, Florida, sparks a conversation about race and diversity
that goes beyond the controversial case.
In her comments, she did not mention George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old
neighborhood watch volunteer who is charged with murdering the unarmed
17-year-old.
‘All I can say is that my heart goes out to the parents, because we all as
parents understand the tragedy of that kind of loss, and I think that’s really
the thing that most people connect to,’ she said.
And it’s important for us not to lose sight of the fact that this is a family
that’s grieving and there’s been a tremendous loss. And we all have to rally
around that piece of it.’
Judge Recksiedler’s husband is the law partner of Mark NeJame,
an attorney who provides legal
analysis for CNN and was approached to represent Zimmerman.
Mrs Obama’s sympathetic words for Trayvon’s parents echo her husband’s
remarks about the shooting last month.
‘My main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin. You know, if I had a
son, he’d look like Trayvon,’ President Barack Obama said.
His message, in which he also called the shooting a ‘tragedy,’ sparked
controversy, with Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich calling it
‘disgraceful race-baiting.’
The shooting at a gated community, while Trayvon was returning to his
father’s girlfriend’s home with Skittles and iced tea, has sparked protests
across the country.
Many see the case as a racial issue. Trayvon was black and Zimmerman, who
claimed self-defense and was not arrested until a special prosecutor
investigated the case, is half-Hispanic and half-white.
Mrs Obama said she believes the country can learn from the shooting and
should
continue
discussing the controversial issues.
‘It’s all about, you know, continuing to get to know ourselves in a very
diverse and complicated country that is America,’ she told NPR.
‘But because it is so diverse, our challenges are complex. So there isn’t,
you know, a one-shot solution to this.’
