Last night, thousands of people around the nation put their hoodies up, held a candle, and said a prayer for slain teen Trayvon Martin, in a celebration of life that marked a year since his fatal shooting in Florida.
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In New York City, Trayvon’s parents Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, alongside actor Jamie Foxx, spoke to a hooded crowd about the death of their youngest son and the work that has to be done to make sure that our children remain safe from gun violence and racial prejudice.
“This day, until the day I die, will always be Hoods Up Day for me,” Tracy Martin said.
Both Martin and Fulton donned hoods as well, holding strong as the crowd chanted, “Who are we? Trayvon Martin!” Picket signs with Trayvon’s face and words denouncing racial profiling and gun violence stood high above the crowd.
“I’m the mother of two boys,” Fulton said. “I have one son on earth and one son in heaven.”
Foxx, who also attended the Peace Walk for Trayvon in Florida last week, told the crowd how he felt after meeting Trayvon’s parents.
“I just started to think: What would I feel like if she wasn’t there with me?” he said.
At 7:17, candles were lit and a moment of silence followed, marking the time when the first police officer arrived to the scene of the crime to find George Zimmerman standing near Trayvon’s lifeless body. Foxx then serenaded the crowd with an emotional song and Michael Eric Dyson was also on hand to lend his thoughts and prayers.
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Almost a thousand miles down the Atlantic shore, another crowd gathered in Sanford, Fl. to remember the life that was stolen a year earlier.
Despite the rainy weather, people stood outside of Sanford’s Goldsboro Welcome Center and the Historical Museum to show their respect.
Groups of teenagers and parents also gathered near Yale University, in Los Angeles, and in Washington D.C. to remember Trayvon’s life and to reflect on the work that must be done to break down the social constructs of race that led to his death.
Trayvon, you are missed.
Crowds gathered in New York City’s Union Square yesterday at the Million Hoodies Candlelight Vigil for Trayvon Martin to celebrate the slain teen’s life.
In NYC, Sybrina Fulton, family attorney Benjamin Crump, Michael Eric Dyson and actor Jamie Foxx reflect on the tragic event that took place exactly a year ago.
Jamie Foxx addresses the crowd at the Million Hoodies Candlelight Vigil for Trayvon Martin.
Father of Trayvon Martin, Tracy Martin, takes a moment to look out at the crowd that has gathered in memory of his son.
Candles are lit right before 7:17 pm EST, the moment when the first police officer arrived on the scene to find Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman in the gated community of Sanford, Florida.
In Sanford, students and parents gather to remember Trayvon Martin.
Mourners write their thoughts and goodbyes on a poster made in memory of Trayvon Martin.
As day turned to night in Sanford, Florida, gatherers lit candles and chanted in the rain in the name of justice for Trayvon Martin.
Shenika Mitchell and Yolanda Pearson (L-R) gather with others for a candlelight vigil at Fort Mellon Park to mark the one-year anniversary of when Trayvon was shot by George Zimmerman.
Willie McGilll and Lataiss-Jah McGill (L-R) also gather with others for a candlelight vigil at Fort Mellon Park to mark the one-year anniversary of when Trayvon was shot by George Zimmerman.
Near Beinecke Plaza in Connecticut, a group of 30 students and New Haven residents lit candles in a vigil commemorating the one-year anniversary of the death of Trayvon Martin, calling for an end to gun violence plaguing inner cities across the nation.
PHOTO SOURCE: GETTY
