Last Friday, Feb. 26, marked the nine-year anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death. Trayvon was an innocent 17-year-old African American boy who was shot by a neighborhood watch coordinator. What was done about this heartbreaking situation? Nothing — because the coordinator claimed he used self-defense, which resulted in a not-guilty verdict.
Trayvon Martin was only a high school kid that wanted to see his family, and instead, he faced an unfortunate encounter with a neighborhood watch coordinator. Trayvon was not armed, but he ran from the security guard. It is unfortunate, but people within the Black community have trained themselves and their loved ones to do what law enforcement says for fear of violence. They feel that this world is not safe for them to live in.
There are many strides that have been taken today to support the Black community that were not taken back when Trayvon died, going to show how much has changed in nine years. There are organizations, protests and much help from social media when it comes to supporting The Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM). Though it has been nine years, Trayvon Martin has not been forgotten and is one of the many people within the Black community that has contributed to changing the world.
BLM has grown tremendously in the past year due to the death of George Floyd. Society is trying to unite and heal from these moments, but history keeps repeating itself. Many people feel that those with authority take advantage of the power they have. People find this especially true when it comes to authority figures who are biased against people of color, as time has shown that these biased authority figures do not know how to compartmentalize and realize that no matter what shape, size or color we are that we are all human.
Here at NSU, we have a Black Student Union organization. This organization advocates for people to join the BLM movement and to use their voice to support the Black community. This organization provides support and can serve as an outlet for anyone.
Organization president Jamalmash Noel of the Black Student Union has stated their goals are “To support diversity and bring about equitable opportunities for minority students. These students get the opportunity to be put in their own space to be brilliant.”
Getting involved can be as simple as “Reposting something or spreading awareness to others about what is going on in minority communities,” Noel said.
Noel also mentions that protesting is an option, but, “If you don’t feel safe protesting, you can repost and do grant writing.”
To find out more information and get involved, follow @bsu_nsu.
