A group of about 100 black activists in Florida who say they seek justice for slain teen Trayvon Martin paint his shooter as a racist who casts aside his Hispanic ethnicity and embraces a white supremacist attitude.
The characterization of George Zimmerman, who was acquitted of murder in the February 2012 shooting of the 17-year-old boy, is put forth in the “Justice for Trayvon Toolkit,” an 11-page pamphlet published by BYP100, a unit of the Black Youth Project comprised of 100 young blacks who advocate for their communities to mobilize and take action on justice-related issues.
Members of the group have joined forces with Dream Defenders to protest the teen’s death and demand Florida legislators overturn stand your ground gun laws in the state.
The pamphlet cites “the murder of Trayvon Martin” as its inspiration for action, Sunshine State News reported. It includes a rundown of Mr. Zimmerman’s trial and asserts “internalized racism” was to blame for the shooting.
“George Zimmerman is ethnically Latino. However, he has the same racial privilege as [a] white person, living in a gated community,” the pamphlet reads. “He has a light skin color, and he holds no Spanish name. So Zimmerman is so whitewashed, and consumed by white supremacy, that is why he is white.”
The pamphlet doesn’t address the fact that Trayvon’s black father lived in the same gated community as Mr. Zimmerman, Sunshine State News reported. Other pages of the pamphlet include images of a raised fist grasping a package of Skittles candy and a hand holding an Arizona ice tea bottle. The two items were purchased by Trayvon at a convenience store shortly before he was killed.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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