Jay Z and Beyonce came out for the ‘Justice for Trayvon Martin’ vigil held in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood on Saturday (July 20). The rally took a week after Martin’s killer George Zimmerman was acquitted in the shooting death of the Florida teen.
Also present at the ‘Justice for Trayvon Martin’ Harlem rally was Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton and renown civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton. Both gave their opinions on the verdict and what they will do moving forward.
“George Zimmerman started the fight and George Zimmerman ended the fight,” Fulton told those who had gathered. “My son died without even knowing who his killer was … Today it was my son. Tomorrow it might be yours.” A similar sentiment has resonated across America in the days following the trial. Picket signs and tweets from the likes of President Obama to celebrities to the general public have all contemplated the notion that it “could have been me,” galvanizing peaceful civil rights protests.
“Trayvon was no burglar,” Fulton said, addressing the racial profiling that lead to the tragedy. “He had a drink and some candy. He had every right to be in that area.”
“We’re going to make sure there is an aggressive civil rights investigation,” said Sharpton of the future. “We are trying to get justice, not get something off our chests.”
Beyonce is asking fans to sign a petition for the civil rights case against George Zimmerman.
“We have made so much progress and cannot allow hatred and racism to divide us. When we all join together, people of all races, we have the power to change the world we live in,” read the note on Beyonce’s website. “We must fight for Trayvon the same way the generation before us fought for Emmett Till.”