RIP (February 5, 1995 – February 26, 2012)
If Trayvon Martin was still alive he would be 23 years old today. On February 26th, 2012, the unarmed 17-year-old was shot by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. A jury acquitted Zimmerman of all charges on July 13, 2013. Martin’s murder and Zimmerman’s subsequent acquittal was one of the catalyst of the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Martin’s death also inspired many songs. One example is “Everybody Know (For Trayvon Martin)” by Hurray For The Riff Raff. Front-woman Alynda Segarra made the following statement to Time Magazine: “I wrote this song last year, on February 26th, one year after Trayvon Martin was shot to death in a Florida suburb. A young black man barely 17 years old brought to his end for no reason other than suspicion. It also happened to be my birthday. As I celebrated another year on Earth, I was haunted by the fact that his life ended so soon. After a visit to the Civil Rights museum in Memphis, I wrote this song. This song is a reminder that we must not forget him. We must not forget about the work that lies ahead of us.”