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Columbus Short Writes Open Letter About Trayvon Martin

Scandal star weighs in on race relations and the George Zimmerman verdict.

People are still expressing their dismay after the shocking verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. Actor Columbus Short has become the latest celebrity to go public with his feelings about the outcome. In an open letter, the Scandal star offered his perspective on the polarizing issue and how folks can avoid being overwhelmed by their feelings about the verdict.

In his essay titled “Letter to the Broken Hearted” Short wrote: “As I have sat and listened to debate after debate, in depth analysis and tempered opinions on 'The Verdict' I couldn't help but feel helpless, frustrated, hurt and yes, angry. As I plummet into the labyrinth of my mind in search of answers, solutions, or a way I could help subdue the burning desire for things to change, my only recourse was to start writing."

Short continued, "Presume we step back and take pause for a moment. Pause to take a cultural and personal inventory on where we have come as a people. As oppose to being blinded by the present emotional and economical condition of our nation, our community. What if we begin by acknowledging some of the triumphs, rather than becoming consumed solely by the injustice?"  The actor also added, "I assure you, I experience the same profiling and discrimination daily regardless of what I happen to do for a living. We must recognize that if we allow this particular 'lost battle' in the continuing war, that is 'Race In America,' to take us backwards, we will be backtracking and negating the progress that we have already made to date.”

Asking that folks not let Trayvon Martin's death be in vain, Short suggested that people adopt a “spirit of gratitude," one where people give thanks for the struggle their predecessors fought in to make things better for African-Americans. “Lets truly look at their example,” he concluded, “of what finding peace in the middle of the storm looks like.”  Click here to read the full letter.

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(Photo: Mark Davis/Getty Images for BET)

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