A month ago, a black teenager named Trayvon Martin was shot dead in Florida while walking back from running an errand for his brother. His killer was not tested for drug or alcohol. Trayvon was. His killer has not been arrested. In the past 30 days the case has received a great deal of media attention, but we've heard little about the fear, anger, and oppression that black men feel every day for being constantly profiled as criminals. Those voices aren't being heard as much as they should be, which is where the "I Am Trayvon Martin Project" comes in.
We want to hear the stories of the young Black and Latino men from the mailroom to the boardroom who have been harassed, racially profiled, and have feared for their lives for no other reason than the color of their skin. We want to have an online space so that these voices can be heard, so that these stories can be shared, and so that the issues brought up by the death of Trayvon Martin are no longer kept to the shadows.
We invite you to visit youtube.com/iamtrayvonmartin and upload videos of your stories. I invite you to share the link to this article on your face book/twitter accounts, and ensure that your friends see your stories, and share theirs as well. We invite you to use the hash tag #iamtrayvonmartin when you mention this project on twitter or link to your videos.
We invite you to stand up and make your voices heard, your presence felt, and to ensure that we never forget Trayvon Martin, because he could've been any one of us. Sharing your story and making your voice heard isn't the only way to do this, but it's a start.
We want to hear you. Youtube.com/iamtrayvonmartin #iamtrayvonmartin