I believe it can.
Somebody’s baby boy died in a senseless act of violence prompted by prejudice. Another budding life chopped down because of a skin color that some associate with everything negative and undesirable.
Hasn’t it been proven time after time that color does not make a man or woman? Isn’t it true that underneath that thin layer of skin, what makes us all human is really all the same? Why then do we continue to experience tragedies like that of Trayvon Martin?
I thought back to two incidents involving racial profiling that took place over a decade ago when I lived in New York. In 1999 and in 2000, New York City witnessed the senseless murders of Amadou Diallo and Patrick Dorismond, innocent black men shot by over-zealous police officers who assumed they were suspects solely based on their “appearance.” Diallo was 23 and unarmed when four New York City plain-clothed officers fired 41 bullets at him on February 4, 1999. The officers said he fitted the description of a wanted suspect in a rape case. On March 16, 2000 Patrick Dorismond was approached by two undercover cops asking to purchase marijuana. Dorismond felt insulted that the men assumed he was a drug dealer. The cops never identified themselves as officers, but during an ensuing scuffle, one of them shot Dorismond in the chest and killed him.
Those events roiled the city and sparked numerous protests and marches. I felt so deeply moved by the injustice of it all I did what comes to me naturally when I can do nothing else. I sat down and penned the following words for a song “We Are One.”
The other day a mother cried
My son she said has died in vain
Innocent blood was shed again
And still the lessons pass us by
When I went into the recording studio in early March of this year to work on my upcoming album “I Live by Faith,” I hesitated to add “We Are One.” How relevant is a song written twelve years ago that speaks of the perils of skin color when we have a black president in the White House?
Today my brother dared to dream
Was told he was not worth a thing
Cause of the color of his skin
Oh, what a life for one to bear
Another mother cried. Her son had died in vain. Innocent blood was shed again and till we learn to embrace the God-intended diversity of our human race, the tears will keep on rolling.
“Why can’t we live together? Learn from one another. When will we learn to get along?” the lyrics wonder. In the midst of the public outrage and all the confrontation, the song offers a message of conciliation. “We all are one.”
Friends, I say it’s time we do our part to eliminate the “R” word. Join the “We Are One” movement. Let’s put the ‘G’ to race. Let’s talk about grace instead of race.
“We Are One” – The song that promotes unity!
Dedicated to the memory of Trayvon Martin.
Stay tuned for iTunes, Amazon and youtube release week of 5/15/12.
As always God bless.
Danielle Coulanges
Author of “Cads, Princes, & Best Friends
Butterfly By Faith 
The Trayvon Martin case simply confirms what we already know. We carry decades of pre-conceived notions of who we are. We at times add to that notions with our gangster rap and the non-conformist talk that some embrace. We have come a long way with still a long way to go. Still, many refuse to recognize the challenges faced by non-whites. They state catagorically that we are meritocracy society. REALLY?