trayvon martin sparked a movement for black lives, we owe him so much

On February 26, 2012, only 21 days after his 17th birthday, Trayvon Martin was murdered by wannabe cop George Zimmerman on a walk home from the grocery store. Zimmerman, who has since had many violent run-ins with the law and blatant displays of racism, was cleared of all charges by the mostly white jury, backing up Zimmerman’s far-out claims that Martin attacked him for no reason, in his own neighborhood, and could not be stopped by anything short of a bullet, even though Zimmerman followed Martin against the urging of a police dispatcher.

The end of Martin’s far-too-short life, and the miscarriage of justice that occurred afterwards, was a political awakening for many of us, and is credited as the inspiration behind the Black Lives Matter Network. “It was in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman,” the network claims on its website. After another two years, when organizers went to Ferguson after the similar murder of Mike Brown, the phrase became a rallying cry.

Martin’s family carries on his legacy with the Trayvon Martin Foundation, a social justice organization dedicated to ending violence and strengthening families. You can find out more about their work here!

Happy birthday, Trayvon, and rest in power!