Florida trial will put race in spotlight

In a small Florida courtroom this week, the trial of George Zimmerman will begin to unfold. Zimmerman is accused of killing Trayvon Martin during a confrontation over a year ago.

The trial will nudge from the headlines the numerous scandals that have captured our attention in recent weeks.

And despite the question of "stand your ground" laws and the critical question of self-defense, this trial is about race.

Had this case involved two individuals of the same race, the story would have gained no national exposure.

But from the very beginning, the issue of race has been central to this story.

Depending on your racial perspective, this case is cut and dried.

You either believe Zimmerman was trying to protect the neighborhood and then himself from a black thug with a long history of drugs and anti-social behavior.

Or you believe Zimmerman profiled Martin because of his race and, with reckless disregard, killed an unarmed black teenager.

In the coming weeks, there will be ample evidence offered to support either conclusion although the judge has curiously - to me at least - disallowed evidence of Martin's somewhat checkered past.

And equally as curious, many still see this as a white on black crime despite Zimmerman's Hispanic ethnicity.

President Obama, with his propensity to speak before he knows all the facts, put the national spotlight on the shooting by claiming that if he had a son he would "look like Trayvon," which did little other than to fan the flames of the racial divide.

It will be interesting to watch the reactions to the verdict in a couple of months when this case is resolved.

The people of Sanford, Fla., are caught in the crosshairs of a racial conflict not of their making.

And the national media has done a miserable job of presenting the facts of this case other than to promote the racial angle for all it's worth.

We should have known this case was headed to national attention when Trayvon's family first hired a public relations firm.

We hope justice is reached and the reaction - regardless of the verdict - is calm.

And those are the exact words of Trayvon's mother.