Culture

Producer Jay-Z Takes Emotional Look Back in Trayvon Martin Docu-Series

"Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story" shines a light on the shooting that gripped the nation.

trayvon martin

People gather at a rally honoring Trayvon Martin with his photo standing (R) while being held by a man at Union Square in Manhattan on July 14, 2013 in New York City. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

By Rebecca Gibian

On July 13, 2013, a Florida jury acquitted neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman of fatally shooting Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teenager, during a confrontation in a gated community on a rainy night. Over five years later, the pain from the tragedy has only deepened, writes The Los Angeles Times. 

The case rocked the nation. It set off a debate over guns, race, stand-your-ground laws and self-defense. Thousands of protesters took to the streets after Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder. The shooting has been in the background of later shootings of unarmed black men by law enforcement, NFL players taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem, a deadly march in Charlottesville, Va., and a racially-charged comments by President Trump and other politicians.

Now — over the course of six episodes — the Jay-Z produced Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story, examines the shooting and the national conversation that followed.

“We have a chance to take this series and use what the country has learned from Trayvon Martin, both the positive and the negative backlash, to [understand] the Trayvon Martin to Donald Trump syndrome of America,” said Jenner Furst, one of the directors of the documentary.

Exit mobile version