The ANSWER Coalition actively supports the work of Women Organized to Resist and Defend (WORD)
| Watch this short video of WORD organizer Peta Lindsay demanding justice for Trayvon Martin on July 14: |
| "When the whole system tells you that your child, that your life and the life of anyone who looks like you can be taken without consequence, your only response can be to shut that system down!" |
The women of WORD are heartbroken and outraged by the racist acquittal of George Zimmerman. Throughout this mockery of a trial it has been clear that a racist judicial system cannot and will not serve justice.
We are united in our stand against racism and bigotry. We are in this fight because it affects the lives of all women. When one mother loses her son, we all feel the loss. This is our fight.
In Florida and across the United States, mothers have been forced to explain to their sons how this verdict could happen. This is a tragedy for all Black people who now have to tell their children that they don't matter, that their lives can be taken with impunity and that the racist justice system will choose to protect the life of a racist killer rather than the life of an innocent Black child.
As women who have organized themselves to resist and defend, it is our duty to stand and struggle in solidarity with the Black community and all women of oppressed communities who have been dealt a heavy blow by this racist verdict.
We know that our strength lies in our unity and this the only way to fight back and effect actual change. Every right we hold as women, we won by fighting together. Now is the time to stand together - women of all backgrounds, ages, ethnicities and cultures - to defend the lives of Black children and all children who live in a system that tells them some lives are more valuable than others.
If more proof that the system is racist were needed, consider the way women - especially women of color - are treated when we dare to fight back against the violence that is part of our everyday lives. Marissa Alexander stood her ground and fired a warning shot trying to escape her abuser and was sentenced to 20 years. Her children will grow up without their mother because the courts devalue and punish women who stand up, while allowing criminals like George Zimmerman to go free.
We demand justice for Trayvon Martin, Marissa Alexander and all victims of this racist system. We demand an end to the war on Black and oppressed youth. These are our children and our sisters' children.
George Zimmerman's trial was a farce. This is not justice. That is why we say, "The people's verdict is 'GUILTY!'" because this injustice cannot stand.
Stand with us against racism and demand justice for Trayvon Martin. Jail George Zimmerman, free Marissa Alexander, and end the war on women and our children!