This article will analyze the comments that noted CNN anchor and social critic, Don Lemon, provided in which he outlined “five things” African Americans need to do to improve their social circumstances. Lemon’s “five things” soliloquy was triggered by the aftermath of the George Zimmerman verdict, which found Zimmerman not guilty of killing unarmed teenager, Trayvon Martin. I will discuss how Lemon’s sermon ignored the history of violence that has followed Zimmerman, before the killing of Trayvon Martin, and then shortly thereafter. I will also explain how Lemon’s comments represented a larger and more historical narrative that highlights the fear of many in the Black community about the dubious and troublesome legacy of the “White gaze.”
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