In response to my colleague's letter (Donald Rogers, MD): I don't know who was right in this sad Zimmerman vs. Martin affair. I do know as a white mother of a black daughter, I will never be able to explain why, as you say: "And yes, Trayvon was profiled because he was a black kid wearing a hoody in neighborhood where burglaries had occurred. He was wearing gang uniform." My daughter is a "black kid" and she loves "hoodies." Do I warn her to check out crime stats in Anchorage neighborhoods before walking on a summer night? That she be meek and compliant if a man approaches, making threats or putting his hands on her? If the only other person on the street is "(better) an elderly lady with a walker (be challenged)" to expect the neighborhood patrol will automatically convict her, based on her clothes and her skin. Or is it just my friends with black sons that have to worry?
— Megan Clancy, MD
Anchorage
Anchorage Daily News