Skip to main content

#MillionHoodieMarchPhilly: Support for Trayvon Martin


"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" 
If a guilty man walks free in our community because a murder occurred but no one was around to witness it, will our screams of injustice be heard? This question has been answered by recent protests of the murder of Trayvon Martin.
"What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!"
Demonstrators chanted this and other phrases Friday, March 23rd as they marched through the streets of Philadelphia to honor the life of seventeen year old Trayvon Martin. Martin was shot and killed February 26th in Sanford, Florida by Mark Zimmerman, a vigilante whom, claiming self defense, was never arrested. The seventeen year old was wearing a hoodie and armed with a bag of skittles and an iced tea,  however Sanford police claim that with little facts about the incident there is not enough evidence to arrest Zimmerman. Police arrived on the scene of the crime at 7:17pm, which also marked the start time of the Million Hoodie March in Philadelphia. This march is the latest in a string of protests putting the Sanford Police Department on the spot and supporting Martin's family.

 Police estimated numbers in the thousands for those in attendance at the march, which started at 30th street station and ended at Love Park. Oftentimes demonstrators were asked to slow their pace however no violent incidents occurred which further amplifies the impact of the intended message. Many carried signs and nearly everyone wore a hoodie ; some carried skittles and iced tea held high.

 I had the pleasure of speaking with, Jay Moody (@jaymoody_), one of the organizers, as well as various spectators. The purpose of this event was clear but now what happens? Where do we go from here? 
Excerpts from the interviews as well as more details about the demonstration are coming soon!

-- Nola Darling

 Photo Credit: Nola Darling and Brian Artis (www.humblebeez.com)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dear Diary...

Dear Diary, So. Clearly I haven't posted anything in about two weeks. I blame this little fact on LIFE. Well, actually, I would LIKE to blame life but I think I will blame REALITY instead. Life goes on around me and mentally I sometimes shut down. Luckily for me, when it comes to work I move in autopilot so I don't have to be fully present mentally to get the job done physically.  Well. At least that's what I thought. These past two weeks that I haven't written I lost two people very close to me. One I grew with for almost a decade and one I've watched grow. One whom I share a bloodline with and another who is family but doesn't share a drop of blood with me. I pushed myself to keep going because I know life will keep going around me and I fear I'll get left behind. I force myself to bury my emotions because I don't want to appear broken, although if anything were to break me this would be it. I force myself to not only stand up straight and shake it off...
1 comment
Read more

numb. or not.

TheFreeDictionary.com defines 'numb' as: " emotionally unresponsive ."  I thought I was numb but I'm actually the complete opposite of that. I've felt every emotion imaginable in the past 24 hours. Denial, frustration, anger, confusion, pain. I've laughed, cried, screamed. I took a walk. I took a nap. I ignored some calls. I answered some texts. I think I'm still in some weird, warped form of denial. The loss of a loved one is insane. It's motions you go through and emotions you're absorbed in. And it never gets easier. In fact, I feel like as you get older and as more people begin to return home way too soon it's like, "oh no, not another funeral!" When I was younger I wasn't where I am religiously or mentally. I didn't fully understand the power of having your whole life ahead of you and making every moment count. I surely didn't understand that you can't question His timing. You rely on it daily so to que...
2 comments
Read more

REVIEW: Arden Theatre Company's: 'A Raisin in the Sun'

Joilet F. Harris as Lena Younger in  A rden Theatre Company's production of A Raisin in the Sun. Photo: Mark Garvin  "What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" This question silently echoes through the audience during the Arden Theatre Company's production of " A Raisin in the Sun. ' This historical tale takes us almost day by day through the 'dreams' of the Younger  family  as they await the delivery of a life insurance check. With the title pulled from the lines of one of Langston Hughes' most popular works, we witness the Younger  family 's dreams being threatened.  L-R: Jaleesa Capri as Beneatha Younger, U.R. as Walter Lee Younger, Joilet F. Harris as Lena Younger, Nikki E. Walker as Ruth Younger, Yannick Haynes as Travis Younger  in Arden Theatre Company's production of A Raisin in the Sun. Photo: Mark Garvin Set inside the Younger's home in South Side Chicago during the 1950s,...
Post a Comment
Read more