Mae Ryan/KPCC

One of the women at the Trayvon Martin rally prays to God during the event.

This morning, President Barack Obama commented on the shooting death of 17 year-old Trayvon Martin. The president was asked about it after a Rose Garden ceremony.

"My main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin: If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon," he said.

"Obviously, this is a tragedy. I can only imagine what these parents are going through. And when I think about this boy, I think about my own kids."

Meanwhile, here in Los Angeles about 200 people attended a rally Thursday. Yolanda Whitaker called for the arrest of George Zimmerman, the man who shot Trayvon.

Professor James Peterson from Lehigh University joins the show to discuss how the president has handled the situation and the difficulties he faces when talking about race.

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Guest:

James Peterson is the Director of Africana Studies and Associate Professor of English at Lehigh University.