Rally held in response to Trayvon Martin shooting
Keneshia Grant turned to face a group of more than 200 protesters standing in front of Hendricks Chapel on Monday night who all wore hoodies for a reason that had nothing to do with the cold.
‘Where were you at halftime during the NBA all-star game?’ she asked the crowd. ‘Somewhere in Bird Library? Or if you were a basketball fan, were you sitting at your television, waiting for Pitbull and NeYo to perform?’
She paused and looked at the people around her before presenting a third option.
‘Or were you running out to get a snack like Trayvon Martin?’
‘Hoodies for Trayvon Martin,’ a rally held on Syracuse University’s Quad, was only one of several rallies across the country for the 17-year-old high school student from Florida who was killed walking home from a convenience store.
The rally was held by the SU Student African American Society and the Black Artist League, and it aimed to inform students of the shooting and the need for further investigation into his death.
George Zimmerman, the man who shot Martin, claims he did so in self-defense – a claim that sparked controversy among African-Americans and citizens as a whole.
Grant, a graduate student studying political science, said Zimmerman was not arrested nor administered a drug or alcohol test.
‘Today, one month later, George Zimmerman walks the streets of America as a free man, while a 17-year-old, Trayvon Martin, is dead,’ she said. ‘Justice must be served.’
The Trayvon Martin case has garnered much attention across the nation and sparked similar demonstrations on other college campuses such as Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Students at SU clutched signs that read: ‘My choice of clothing does not constitute my murder’ and ‘Wearing a hoodie is not a crime. Killing a child is a crime.’ Other signs read: ‘It’s not a black or white thing, it’s a wrong or right thing.’
Redemption, an a cappella group, sang while other students spoke to the crowd.
‘This murder should be an example for black people everywhere, and rallies like this should be held across the world,’ said Nathan Woods, sophomore political science major.
The protestors ended the gathering with a moment of silence for Martin.
Published on March 26, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Contact Marwa: meltagou@syr.edu | @marwaeltagouri
