Rest In Power Trayvon Martin

Remembering Trayvon Martin

By: Anti-Intellect 2/26/2013

             In remembering Trayvon Martin, I can’t help but look at his tragic and untimely death in a larger social context. It can almost be said with certainty that Trayvon Martin would still be alive today if the gender of his killer were different. Simply put, there are no widespread cases of women gunning down other people. The murder of Trayvon Martin is a feminist issue. It is my hope that his death will become a catalyst for further contemplation of both race and gender relations. There is something terribly wrong with the way that we socialize me in this world. That gun violence has almost become synonymous with maleness is something that deeply disturbs me as a feminist man. George Zimmerman did not just attack and kill Trayvon on that fateful night simply because he was Black. Both Trayvon and Zimmerman’s gender played a significant role in how things played out. Patriarchy is a social system that privileges men over women, but it also privileges stronger men over weaker men. That night, with that gun, George Zimmerman was the more powerful man, and he knew it. In honoring the life of Trayvon Martin, I will continue to use my voice as a Black male feminist to critically examine our notions of gender. It is the least that I could do for him. Rest in power Trayvon Martin.

 

Demetrius Martin cries as he remembers his brother, Trayvon Martin, during the ‘March for Peace’ at Ives Estate Park in honor of the late Trayvon Martin on February 9, 2013 in Miami, Florida. Martin was killed by George Zimmerman on February 26, 2012 while Zimmerman was on neighborhood watch patrol in the gated community of The Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)