Posted on 08/11/2014 5:50:30 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Last year, George Zimmerman was acquitted of murdering 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. But before that decision was handed down the public got the chance to hear from the young woman who was the last person to speak with Trayvon before he died, his friend Rachel Jeantel. As she testified during the case, Rachel became a public figure as the media and audiences bullied her with harsh criticisms and unfair labels. As a result of the humiliating ordeal, Rachel received an overwhelming amount of support to better her own needs and accomplish her dreams as a young woman. Now, just one year and one month after the end of the Zimmerman trial, we reached out to Rachel to see how she’s coping after such a life-altering year in 2013 and she revealed to us her career aspirations, what the media didn’t know about her friend Trayvon and what she would have done differently if she had to testify again.
How did you manage the outpouring of support you received after the Zimmerman trial?
Before the case, I did not have the support I have now. I went to a public school and because there were a lot of students my teachers were not always available to help me, individually. But thanks to the support I received after the case, I have greatly improved on my reading level and overall studies. If I can make it, I know others can too. I’ve learned students cannot blame themselves, especially when they ask for help and do not receive it. But a person cannot be stuck or dependent on the teachers to always help them either.
What are your plans for furthering your education?
My plans for school consist of studying more, for right now. I am going to be honest, I still need academic help. But this will help me have a better education and career. Ideally, I would like to be a fashion designer. I like to create my own fashion designs. Also, since I am a plus size girl it is not that easy [to find clothes], so my mother and I will will create different outfits for me.
How have you dealt with becoming a public figure as a result of the trial?
To me, I don’t see myself as a high-profile person. I see myself as a normal person, just like yourself or others. Honestly, nothing has changed. It is what it is. When people see me at Walmart, they usually say “What are you doing here? You’re a star!” And I say back to them, “Stars will shop at Walmart, today!” [laughs] It was only 15 minutes of fame but if people want to believe I am a star, then so be it. But stars don’t always get to do what they want to do.
How have you moved passed the insults that were hurdled at you?
I learned a long time ago people will say what they want to say. But if they are not paying my bills or not doing anything for me, what they say will not hurt me. They are not God and they are not my boss so they can say whatever. I know who I am and the people who associate with me know me as well. It’s funny though, because every time I show up someplace people always tell me “Oh I like you!” But the same people weren’t saying that last year when I was featured for the case. Other people will get really excited and ask if I am the girl from the “Trayvon Martin case.” That really pisses me off because it was not the Trayvon Martin case, it was the George Zimmerman case because Zimmerman was the one being tried on the stand. Not Trayvon. Other than that, people will ask for pictures or even for my number and I say “No!” [laughs] I tell them I have Facebook or Twitter if you want to contact me there.
What’s your favorite memory of Trayvon?
Trayvon was really funny! To be honest, Trayvon was a smart young man. I’m not going to lie, he used to help me with my math schoolwork so my grades could be good. Math was his strong point.
We heard Juror B-29 publicly state she wished she would have voted guilty for George Zimmerman and that her life was ruined by the trial, what do you think of her comments?
I think she wanted her own 15 minutes of fame. First and foremost, she was a juror. No one put her information out there, she did. I think a lot of people wanted to use the case to build their own platform. As for her, it backfired.
If you had to testify all over again would you do anything differently?
If I had to testify all over again, I would have been more prepared. I was not prepared for the trial last year. especially concerning the media. I know how to deal with the media now, but before then I did not. It was my first time on television. I was not used to the news cameras or paparazzi. Initially I was like “uh nuh!” when they would continuously ask me questions or take pictures. That’s why by time I took the stand, I was just ready to go! It was too much for me. Now I know how to deal with all of the attention. Also I would have learned proper grammar and how I should speak or what should I say when I am on trial. With what I know now, I would have done a better job.
Cheers for her college plans????
Give me a break. This young woman is in no way college material. Telling her or us otherwise is a waste of breath.
Why is telling the truth wrong? This woman is an imbecile. Ignorant and stupid. Ignorance can be corrected....low IQ is another matter.
I would bet you are wrong. It may not be available to the public. If it was just an oral interview with a reporter, then it wouldn't normally be released no matter whom it was with.
Anyway, a ton of money was spent in getting Rachel up to speed, so I'm betting that she's a clever girl, had real tutors, not that common core stuff, and is much more eloquent now.
Rachel spent her fame and fortune on getting educated instead of drugs or alcohol.
That's a pretty clear sign of intelligence.
I don't know. Adults can learn quickly. I don't even remember any of my classes in any subject that lasted more than a year. One can learn a lot in a year.
Here's a little secret. Most blacks can speak perfect English, whenever they choose. Some speak more than one language.
Rachel may have been 'ignorant', but she wasn't 'incapable'.
Many people learn entire new languages in less than a year. I see no reason Rachel could not improve her grammar/spelling/speech in one year with paid personal tutors.
Besides, I'm pretty sure Rachel was doing the "play dumb in front of the adults" thing during her testimony.
Have ya been to college lately ?
Really? She was smart enough to avoid giving the DA the answers he wanted.
“I would have learned ... what should I say when I am on trial.”
huh? She was on trial? She will be on trial? What?
You would never be saying that if she were not black.
Just anticipating the inevitable.
The 911 tapes picked up quite a bit. Some say it was Martin.
"We heard Juror B-29 publicly state she wished she would have voted guilty for George Zimmerman and that her life was ruined by the trial, what do you think of her comments?
I think she wanted her own 15 minutes of fame. First and foremost, she was a juror. No one put her information out there, she did. I think a lot of people wanted to use the case to build their own platform. As for her, it backfired."
Same here. And now, instead of wallowing in self-pity, she decided to work harder, make some improvements, and graduate. Now hopefully she’s looking forward to a brighter future. Got to respect that!
I thought this was called "acting White". Are we to assume that her entire circle of friends and family are pleased with this and will emulate it?
What exactly was it that prevented her from this transformation prior to her "fame"?
“You would never be saying that if she were not black.”
____________________
Way to throw out the race card.
I don’t care if she is black, white, purple,....
She is stupid. Pure and simple. She didn’t “play” stupid....she IS stupid.
I agree.
The only thing preventing her from achieving intelligence is a lack of intelligence.
Fame can’t buy a lack of IQ.
Bottom line....this young woman is ignorant, stupid, and a raging racist. Anyone buying into this attempt at a “makeover” is riding the crazy train.
It occurs to me that there is an important liberal goal in this deception.
This woman's credibility with most of the minority community is already as high as it could be.
The deception is aimed at those in the white community who are anxious to believe that the only reason that such a woman would remain ignorant is due to poverty. And furthermore, that simply providing money to such a person will solve the disparity of wealth which has enslaved in poverty her and her peers.
The musical "My Fair Lady" tells the tale of an uneducated girl who sells flowers and speaks atrocious English. She is taught the language and is taken for royalty at a ball. This story is based on the myth of Pygmalion.
Gee, ... what would one name a black version of "Pygmalion"?
Nope, I'm not going there.
Is there anybody in the world that doesn't feel exactly the same way ... save perhaps Obama who is not equipped to do better.
6. My Name is African Swahili - NOT EXACTLY, your name is Arabic and 'Baraka' (from which Barack came) means 'blessed' in that language. Hussein is also Arabic and so is Obama.
Actually, Barrack is a perfectly good Swahili name. Just as Joshua is a perfectly good English name, even though it is derived from the Hebrew and means "Jehovah is salvation."
Swahili is a Bantu language heavily influenced by Arabic, just as English it a Teutonic language heavily influenced by French (and other languages).
Barack Hussein Obama is not half black. He is the first Arab-American President, not the first black President. Barack Hussein Obama is 50% Caucasian from his mother's side and 43.75% Arabic and 6.25% African Negro from his father's side. While Barack Hussein Obama's father was from Kenya, his father's family was mainly Arabs.. Barack Hussein Obama's father was only 12.5% African Negro and 87.5% Arab (his father's birth certificate even states he's Arab, not African Negro).
Papa Obama was a member of the Luo tribe, a Bantu-speaking group. His photographs make it pretty clear he is largely if not entirely of sub-Saharan ancestry.
I am somewhat skeptical a birth certificate even exists for Obama, Sr. It seems unlikely to me that British East Africa was that bureaucratically organized down to the village level in the 1930s.
Arab traders and raiders were certainly all over East Africa during the pre-British period. This is where the Swahili language comes from. But they didn't settle the shores of Lake Victoria where the Luo lived. While there could certainly be an Arab in the Obama woodpile somewhere, I have seen absolutely no evidence that this is the case.
I am also curious why you think Obama's paternal ancestry is particularly relevant.
How did she pass before??
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