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About Justice for Trayvon Martin Foundation

The Foundation

The Justice For Trayvon Martin Foundation was established as a Florida-based nonprofit organization in March 2012, in response to the murder of Trayvon Martin and the tragic events leading up to and after his death.

• To pursue justice on behalf of Trayvon Benjamin Martin, the son of Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin and the brother of Jahvarius Martin;
• To help amend the “Stand Your Ground” law in Florida and other states in which this or similar laws have been enacted; Enacting Trayvon Martin legislation to prevent the inappropriate application of stand your ground principles.
• To assist surviving families who grieve and suffer after tragically losing a loved one like Mr. Martin and Ms. Fulton lost Trayvon;
• To assist other organizations whose mission is similar to ours.
• Advocating for crime victims and their families
• Educating young people on conflict resolution techniques
• Increasing public awareness against all forms of profiling

The Justice For Trayvon Martin Foundation will use resources and tools to bring social awareness to similar cases. In this decade, we are still fighting some of the same issues that prompted the Civil Rights Movement as it pertains to injustice and racism. Therefore, we will use social media, campaigns, marketing, public relations and organizational ties to bring awareness to the civil rights, injustices and social issues to uplift and advocate for the advancement of young minorities.

History of Trayvon’s Legacy

On February 26, 2012, Trayvon Benjamin Martin was shot and killed in Sanford, Fla. as he walked to a family member’s home from a convenience store where he had just bought some candy and a cold, nonalcoholic drink. He was only 17 years old.

Trayvon was our hero. At the age 9, Trayvon pulled his father from a burning kitchen, saving his life. He loved sports and horseback riding. At only 17, he had a bright future ahead of him with dreams of attending college and becoming an aviation mechanic. Now that’s all gone.

Trayvon’s killer, George Zimmerman, admitted to police that he killed Trayvon with a single shot to the chest. Zimmerman, the local community’s self-appointed “Neighborhood Watch leader,” called the police to report a suspicious person when he saw Trayvon, a young Black man, walking from the store. Zimmerman violated basic Neighborhood Watch guidelines by carrying a weapon that night.

When Zimmerman reported Trayvon to the police, they told him not to confront him. But he did anyway. All we know about what happened next is that Zimmerman shot and killed our 17-year-old son, who was unarmed.

Zimmerman was briefly taken into custody soon after he killed Trayvon. However, Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee and State Attorney Norman Wolfinger decided Zimmerman would not be charged with committing a crime because they evidently believed Zimmerman killed Trayvon in self-defense under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law.

Trayvon was never the aggressor. He was wearing a “hoodie” on his head (to shield himself from the rain that night) and holding a can of AriZona Iced Tea and a bag of Skittles candy he had just purchased from a convenience store nearby.

At the urging of the Florida-based law firm of Parks and Crump, and with the help of Black newspapers and media outlets, Black journalists and commentators, and social media, the story of Trayvon’s murder spread worldwide. After millions of people signed online petitions and thousands attended nonviolent rallies in cities around America, Florida Gov. Rick Scott appointed a special prosecutor, Angela Corey, to independently investigate Trayvon’s murder.

On April 11, 2012, Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder for the death of Trayvon Martin. His trial is pending.