The shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and its galvanizing effect on African-Americans has often been compared to the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till . I have often resisted this comparison because it was what took place following Till 's death -- the Montgomery Bus Boycott -- that made the death of the young man such a pivotal role in launching the civil rights movement . Yet there is no denying that the death of Martin has moved this generation of African-Americans in a way that we have not seen in a 40 years . This post-civil rights movement generation -- I am a member of it since I was born in November 1968 -- has often been reluctant to embrace a social justice agenda . Instead , too many have had a me-myself-and-I mentality . Very few issues have led this generation to say , `` Enough is enough ! '' The Trayvon Martin case may be that catalyst that I and others have often said is long overdue . Many have asked , `` Well , what makes this case unique ? '' To be honest , it 's as simple as a young kid walking home from the store with a bag of Skittles and an iced tea , being seen as suspicious , and ending up dead . The legal system will sort out whether or not George Zimmerman was justified in shooting Martin , but that still does n't change the reality that a young man is dead . So , we have to seek ways to end racial profiling ; to end America 's deadly obsession with guns ; to end the fear that people have toward one another . It has been amazing to watch as millions across the country weighed in on the tragedy , signing petitions , organizing rallies and vigils and demanding changes to the Florida law that some believe contributed to Martin 's death . Yes , there is anger and frustration . But nothing is wrong with folks being angry about Martin 's death . During a recent interview with entertainer and humanitarian Harry Belafonte for my TV One Cable Network show , `` Washington Watch , '' he said that even the Rev . Martin Luther King Jr. recognized the benefit of anger in a social justice movement . `` He said , 'We first need to be angry at our plight before we 'll act upon changing our condition , ' '' Belafonte said . `` So , anger is a necessary force . It 's not so much that you 're angry , it 's what you do with your anger that finally determines the importance of anger . '' That 's why I vehemently disagree with my media colleagues who are quick to ask whether Zimmerman 's arrest will quell the voices of anger and satisfy protesters . An arrest is one thing ; having a jury and judge hear the evidence is another . Everyone I know who has been up in arms over this case understands that it 's not about bounties , burning down buildings or lashing out at whites , Hispanics , police , prosecutors or anyone else . Those advocating hateful actions have no place even being interviewed . They represent a minuscule population , but often overshadow and distract from those doing the real , substantive work . But it is clear that there is a need to change a system that only responds to protests and outrage . Justice is supposed to be blind . But too often , especially for African-Americans , the feeling is that justice works for others and not us . But if we 're going to see a true change in this nation when it comes to social justice and the legal system , it will have to be led by young people . It will be led by those college students who called themselves the `` Dream Defenders ' in Florida who marched from Daytona Beach to Sanford on Easter weekend saying they were doing to so reach Dr. King 's dream of a better America . It is going to require a 21st-century Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee , the fearless , passionate and successful group that played a vital role in the civil rights movement , only to fall victim to more militant voices toward the end of the 1960s . This change in America will not take place only in the halls of the legislatures and Congress . It is going to have to take place in towns , cities , communities and homes . It truly must be bottom up and not top down . Belafonte , who was an adviser and funder to SNCC while also being a confidant to Dr. King , said the only way we are going to see a truly changed America is if the nation 's young rise up in a moral army for good and righteousness . But he cautioned that it ca n't be exclusively the province of political leaders , which he says was a miscalculation of the civil rights movement . `` We had to have young , bright men and women sitting in places that could legislate the branches of government ; that could write laws and become engaged , '' he said . `` And once we got them into the positions , we no longer had these people in the community servicing the growth and the counseling of Young Turks coming up . `` The grassroots infrastructure became the political infrastructure . We 're now getting back to that , and I think we 're getting back to that in a very healthy way . ''
King says he 's resisted comparing the Emmett Till shooting to the Emmett Till case . King came on the heels of that killing , he says . Dr. King saw the value of well-directed anger , Harry Belafonte noted . A system that only responds to protests and outrage should change , Congress says .