Queer feminism: White supremacy, colonialism, contributed to Trayvon Martin killing, says prof

Dr. Erica R. Meiners, self-described “queer feminist scholars.”

Capitalism and white supremacy both played roles in the killing of Trayvon Martin, a public university professor said last Thursday.

Dr. Erica R. Meiners, a professor in the Gender and Women’s Studies Department at Northeastern Illinois University, made the remarks while speaking on a panel of self-described “queer feminist scholars.”

Martin was killed, in part, by colonialism, alleged Meiners.

“[T]he web of interconnected histories and contexts that made it possible for George Zimmerman to shoot Trayvon Martin and walk away cannot be separated from white supremacy, colonialism, heteromasculinity, and capitalism,” said Meiners.

“These killing threads shape the world we inhabit,” she added.

An article published in the Windy City Times, titled “Event looks at Trayvon Martin case through queer, feminist eyes,” pointed out that all of the panelists were “queer and feminist scholars.”  

But event organizer and founding director of Project NIA, Mariame Kaba , told Campus Reform on Wednesday that the fact that all the panelists were queer feminist scholars was a coincidence.

The panel titled “Transformative Justice and The Trayvon Martin Case: A Consideration," was held at Jane Adams Hull-House in Chicago and was intended to discuss “whether the criminal legal system is the ‘best’ way to seek accountability for harm has been ongoing for several years,” according to an event invitation published on ChicagoPride.com  

The other panelists were Traci Schlesinger, associate professor of sociology at DePaul University, and Beth Richie, a professor of criminal justice and gender and women's studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Kaba told Campus Reform that a diverse crowd attended the event, including professionals and young people.

Meiners did not respond to requests for comment from Campus Reform.

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