Trayvon Martin.
Trayvon Martin.
Trayvon Martin.
We say his name again, Trayvon Martin.
Over twenty-five years ago, Sybrina Fulton gave birth to Trayvon Martin. The handsome, young boy born in Miami, Florida, who attended both Norland Middle School and Highland Oaks Middle School, in north Miami-Dade County, Florida. He attended Miami Carol City High School in Miami Gardens for his freshman and sophomore years…before being shot to death.
On the night of February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida, United States, George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African American high school student. Zimmerman, a 28-year-old mixed race Hispanic man, was the neighborhood watch coordinator for the gated community where Martin was temporarily living and where the shooting took place. Zimmerman shot Martin, who was unarmed.
Zimmerman was charged with Martin’s murder but acquitted at trial on self-defense grounds. The incident was reviewed by the Department of Justice for potential civil rights violations, but no additional charges were filed, citing insufficient evidence.
Following Martin’s death, rallies, marches and protests were held across the nation. In March 2012, hundreds of students at his high school held a walkout in support of him. An online petition calling for a full investigation and prosecution of Zimmerman garnered 2.2 million signatures. Also in March, the media coverage surrounding Martin’s death became the first story of 2012 to be featured more than the presidential race, which was underway at the time. A national debate about racial profiling and stand your ground laws ensued, and the governor of Florida appointed a task force to examine the state’s self-defense laws.
So where does leave us?
I still remember getting a call about the verdict. It was on the weekend (I think that was planned, but that’s a side note). When I heard it, it was a reminder, a wake-up call some may say. Like many other Black folks, I didn’t want Zimmerman to be acquitted, but it was expected. The anger, the rage, but not disbelief.
We’ve seen this so many times before, so what can we do?
I’m just one man, but I don’t want any innocent death to go in vain. So here’s what I’ve been striving to do…
… since Trayvon’s death:
1. End all senseless Black-on-Black violence. Period. There are so many other things we can concentrate on–together and so many other things pulling the Black community, that we don’t need to arguing over things that end in death by our own hands. That needs to stop. So now, before getting angry at my brother, I see how we can work out things where we both see a good positive ending.
2. Get involved in politics. It may be a slippery slope, but the days of only just being a voter who only votes for the President are over. I need to know who the local government, the local judges are, who they stand for and if they don’t even remotely stand for me then vote for somebody who does or run myself.
3. Form coalitions. I don’t care if it’s not with people who look like you, I’m forming relationships, partnerships and coalitions that people can speak for me and on my behalf when others don’t want to hear me. It is in these relationships that real power is formed and we can begin to change mindsets, communities, and eventually laws.
Who am I? I’m just a young brother and Trayvon could’ve been me.
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