Trayvon Martin’s parents keep his story alive in new book

1st May 2017   ·   0 Comments

By Deja Dennis
Contributing Writer

The crowds swarmed. People sat, stood and crouched wherever there was space last week at Dillard University in solidarity with the parents of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old African-American teen who, on February 20, 2012, was fatally shot in Sandford, Florida.

The Georges Auditorium at Dillard University was packed on April 24 as students, residents, and visitors came to hear Trayvon’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, discuss their 2017 book, Rest In Power, The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin.

The book examines their son’s life and the events that followed after he was shot and killed in 2012 by a neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman. The trial saw national attention and Zimmer-man’s not-guilty verdict set off the Black Lives Matter movement.

“It’s still an important issue, a lot of young Black men are afraid,” said Dillard University President Walter Kimbrough, who partnered with Jamar McKneely, the chief executive officer for Inspire NOLA Charter Schools, to host the public event. Kimbrough said he wanted the community to hear firsthand from Trayvon Martin’s parents about the legal system and how it impacts African Americans. He was also eager to hear the parents tell the story of loss and newfound purpose in their own words.

“It’s been hard for me to read the book. It’s painful,” Kimbrough said of the parents’ experience.

When Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin were introduced, the room fell silent.

“We don’t practice for this, we just talk…we’re just parents,” Fulton said.

They told the audience they had come to New Orleans to share their journey as just regular people, who underwent a traumatic experience. They said the book was a tool to continue Trayvon’s legacy. The book tells the story of the death of their son and the murder trial from both of their perspectives. It took about one-year-and-a-half to complete, they said, and the process to recall every detail was difficult, but they wanted to be as real as possible with readers.

“We didn’t want to sugarcoat anything,” Tracy Martin said.

They held back nothing at the event, sharing everything about Trayvon, both the good and the bad. However, Martin emphasized that Trayvon was young and he felt, did not deserve to die. “My seed was plucked from my garden, there’s no flower there,” Martin told the crowd as some wiped away tears in response to the parents’ words.

“What caused Trayvon’s death was the color of his skin,” Fulton said plainly. She was unapologetic for her statement, telling the audience that certain laws like Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law doesn’t benefit African Americans. She also acknowledged that talking about her son still makes some people uncomfortable. To this she said, “Get over it. I refuse to let anyone silence me,” as the audience responded with a roaring applause of support.

Residents who attended the event said that hearing from the parents would bring the tragic story that everyone is familiar with, to life. Jamar McKneely, with Inspire charter schools, said he saw the event as an opportunity for New Orleans students to witness the account from Trayvon Martin’s parents’ point of view.

“They are exceptional people, and they are always engaged in what’s happening in New Orleans and with students,” McKneely said. Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin have become influential advocates for students nationwide, he said, because of the work they are doing to promote social change. McKneely said he wants this current generation to be mindful of social injustices and the rate of police shootings of Black men across the country.

Dillard student Natkietha Allen, 19, attended the event with someone special in mind. “I have a brother,” she said, “and I fear something will happen.” She attended hoping to hear an inspirational message and to get advice to go home and share with her brother.

Fulton and Martin answered questions from the audience but they had a special message for students in the crowd.

“Young people catapulted Trayvon’s name across the country,” Tracy Martin said. “Without them we wouldn’t be here.”

“My faith is in the young people,” Sybrina Fulton added.

This article originally published in the May 1, 2017 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.