When Rachel Jeantel testified in her friend Trayvon Martin’s
murder trial yesterday she was called fat, ignorant, sassy, ugly and manly.
Jeantel was called everything except what she is, a witness
in one of the most significant criminal trials in recent history – a young
woman who heard her friend fight for his life.
Social media users called Jeantel a thug, an embarrassment
to humanity and to black America. Some joked that she is worthy of a Saturday
Night Live skit, a living stereotype, an example of America’s failing education
system. Here's a Storify of some of the tweets.
Those tweets reveal some of the things that some Americans believe
is wrong with this country, but more deeply, what’s wrong with young black
women. Attacks on Jeantel’s hair, body, speech, grammar and attitude all seemed
to be proof for social media users that young black women are fools.
Social media empowers users to mobilize quickly and spread
information about a common cause to raise awareness and provoke change. But it also
allows users to express ugly thoughts at lightening speed and with anonymity. Social
media enables users to throw digital rocks and hide their hands. After Jeantel’s
testimony Twitter users’ insults grew into a social media stoning.
One of the most common criticisms about Jeantel was that she
looked like Precious, the overweight,
undereducated character with a deep brown complexion portrayed by actress Gabourey
Sidibe. That criticism was particularly troubling because social media users assaulted
her appearance because she lives in a body that this society finds repugnant -
one that is large, black and female. Jeantel’s is a body that holds no value in
this society so she is perceived as a person who is not valuable or credible. So
for some people anything that came out of her mouth, even in the most perfect
English grammar and diction, would be meaningless.
Black folks had their share of criticism for Jeantel too. The
black respectability police on Twitter pondered if her father is in her life.
They said if George Zimmerman is acquitted it would be her fault because of her
sassy attitude. Black folks said girls like Jeantel are the type to keep away
from their children.
Social media users mocked the fact that Jeantel testified
that she doesn’t watch the news. How many people in their late teens and early
20s do watch the news, especially young people of color? Part of the reason why
they don’t watch the news is because they only see reflections of themselves
that are stigmatized, mocked and ridiculed much like the discourse about
Jeantel on social media and mainstream media after the first day of her
testimony.
The ugly comments that circulated through social media about
Jeantel’s speech, looks, mannerisms, race and education reveal the deep-rooted
classism, racism, sexism and lookism in America and our inability to focus on
what was important yesterday – justice. Yesterday young black womanhood seemed
to be on trial instead of Zimmerman.
Last year Trayvon Martin’s murder was thrust into the
spotlight by social media and black media. Mainstream media ignored the story
until they were forced to start paying attention to online activism on social
networks. Social media activism helped push law enforcement to investigate
Trayvon’s murder and not just brush it off as another nameless, faceless dead
black boy. Now social media is dissecting and devouring the last person who
spoke with him.
Rachel Jeantel will return to the witness stand today. More sarcastic
gifs, memes and comments about her will surely be created. But I hope social media users will
invest more time into listening to her testimony and think before they post
another mean photo or comment about a girl who is testifying in her friend’s
murder trial.
