Today, Trayvon Martin Would Have Turned 25
For many, the 25th birthday is a special one. At 25, we are suddenly closer to our thirties than our twenties, and the realities of adulthood seem to become more present in our lives than they ever have been. Today, one person who should be celebrating this milestone is not able to do so. That person is Trayvon Martin.
Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old man and head of his gated community’s neighborhood watch, just three weeks after his seventeenth birthday on February 26th, 2012.
The case sparked outrage and controversy throughout the country and world, raising questions about the justice system, inequality, and gun violence–specifically, the frequency with which black youth are victimized by it.
NEW YORK, NY – JULY 20: A woman holds a sign as she attends a rally honoring Trayvon Martin organized by the National Action Network outside One Police Plaza in Manhattan on July 20, 2013 in New York City. Demonstrators have gathered in various cities across the country to protest the acquittal of neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman and press for his federal prosecution in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images)
Zimmerman, who admitted to shooting Martin, was acquitted in a controversial court decision. His defense was considered valid due to the State of Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” self-defense laws.
The law essentially states that a person who feels threatened is legally allowed to defend themselves with deadly force.
However, today is not about rehashing the controversy and rage incited by the acquittal of George Zimmerman. Today is about Trayvon, and all of the moments and opportunities of young adulthood that he never got to enjoy.
NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 21: Mural Artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh attends the Trayvon Martin Mural Unveiling on August 21, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for Paramount Network )
Trayvon Martin never got to walk across the stage at his high school graduation, and he never even had an opportunity to apply for colleges and aspire to become an educated professional.
He never got to exercise our most sacred right as Americans: the right to vote. His political voice has been forever silenced and removed from our democratic processes.
He never got to enjoy his 21st birthday; his first legal sip of alcohol; his first night out at a dance club; his celebration of and welcoming into adulthood, surrounded by his family and friends.
And today, he won’t get to experience the tipping point of turning 25, when thirty finally appears on the horizon, and the complexities and struggles of adulthood become real.
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 16: (L-R) Trayvon Martin’s family Sybrina Fulton, Tracy Martin and Jahvaris Fulton visits BET’s “106 & Park” at the BET Studios on April 16, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images)
The behavior and actions of George Zimmerman in wake of this tragedy are absolutely appalling, but–today especially–it is important to focus on what is important about this situation: Trayon Martin is not with us anymore. He has missed out on all of the milestones of adulthood, and his friends and family surely feel his absence today. That is what is most important to remember.
R.I.P. Trayvon Martin; we hope that you are enjoying your 25th birthday, in a better place than the world you were taken from far too early.
