On Saturday, July 13, George Zimmerman was pronounced not guilty of second degree murder for the killing of Trayvon Martin. The jury acquitted him on the grounds of self-defense. What does self-defense mean in a case like this?
Before the trial began, Judge Deborah Nelson forbade use of the term “racial profiling” in the courtroom. How does race play into the criminal justice system?
Host Frank Stasio speaks with a panel of experts to discuss these questions and what the Trayvon Martin case in Florida means for us in North Carolina. His guests are:
- Mark Anthony Neal is a Professor of African and African-American Studies at Duke University
- Irving Joyner is a professor of law at North Carolina Central University and the legal counsel for the North Carolina NAACP
- Nia Wilson is Executive Director of the Spirit House
- Alexis Pauline Gumbsis a black feminist scholar and poet