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Happy Birthday, Trayvon Martin

It is Sunday, February 5, 2017, marking Trayvon Martin’s 22nd birthday.

Trayvon Benjamin Martin — a 17-year-old African-American student at Dr. Michael M. Krop High School — entered a 7-Eleven in Sanford, Florida where he purchased a bag of Skittles and a can of Arizona iced tea. Martin, unaware of the events to follow, left the store casually after his purchase and started to make his way home. His “suspicious” attire and demeanor lead to an altercation between him and a man with a gun and eventually, also lead to his death.

On February 26, 2012, George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain in Sanford, Florida, called 911 to report “a suspicious person” in the neighborhood. At the time of the call, Zimmerman was running a personal errand to the grocery store, and he was off-duty. Nonetheless, he called 911 and described the scene and situation. Despite the clear instructions given to him telling him not to pursuit, Zimmerman trailed behind Martin. Moments later, gunshots were heard throughout the neighborhood.

The suspicious behavior and appearance that provoked Zimmerman to take action were a result of racial profiling. The stereotypes perpetuated by the media are the same stereotypes that spoke to Zimmerman. The “black thug” stereotype says that black men are criminals and dangerous and thus, lethal force is welcomed. Fox correspondent Ten Nugent even exclaimed that Martin was a “dope-smoking, racist gangsta-wannabe” who was “responsible” for his own death. A survey conducted by the Black America’s Political Action Committee (BAMPAC) concluded that of African-American registered voters: “racial profiling affects college educated men (73%), young men (69%), and urban and suburban men (62%) the most.”

With one bullet, chaos ensued. With one bullet, justice was questioned. With one bullet, a movement began.

A Trayvon Martin rally calling for justice to be served (Photo provided by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA)

 Trayvon Martin’s death is the “catalyst of a new movement“- Roland Martin, CNN Contributor

Protesters at a rally in support of Trayvon Martin in Orlando, Florida (Photo by David Manning/Reuters)

After the passing of Trayvon Martin, protesters and marchers took to the streets to advocate that justice be served.

After Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in Florida, demonstrations nationwide drew thousands of people, including to this one in New York City’s Union Square. (Photo by David Shankbone/Wikimedia Commons.)

On Martin’s birthday, we not only recognize the systematic oppression that led to his passing, but who he was. We celebrate his habits, his quirks, his taste, him. Like all of us, he (might’ve) struggled in chemistry class, loved to see the sights (including the ones of New York that he witnessed two summers ago), loved video games, and loved to watch re-runs of his favorite TV show, Martin.

Trayvon Martin is more than just a body that was wrongly laid.

He was a student; his favorite subject was math. He was an athlete: a former Optimist League football player who loved the sport. He was a dreamer: he was interested in studying aviation and possibly becoming a pilot. He was a lover: a boyfriend who spent his time with his girlfriend and gushing over his Junior Prom.

“He had been so looking forward to going to his Junior Prom, and he had already started talking about all the senior activities in high school…He will never do any of those things.”- Trayvon Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton.

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