Trayvon Martin

Lore & Background

Trayvon Martin was born in 1995 in Miami, Florida, to Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, who divorced in 1999. At the time of his death, his mother was a program coordinator for the Miami Dade Housing Authority, and his father was a truck driver. Martin had an older maternal half-brother, Jahvaris Fulton. When Martin was nine years old, he pulled his father, who had been immobilized by burns to the legs, out of a fire in their apartment, saving his life. He enjoyed sports video games, washed cars, babysat, and cut grass to earn money. He played football from age five, coached in part by his father, and was described by a former coach as one of the best players on their team, The Wolverines, at Forzano Park in Miramar, Florida. Martin attended Norland Middle School and Highland Oaks Middle School, then Miami Carol City High School for his freshman and sophomore years before transferring to Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School in 2011, where he was a junior at the time of the shooting. He had wanted to fly or repair airplanes and enrolled in a seven-week aviation program in mid-2009, later volunteering there the following summer. His parents said he hoped to attend the University of Miami or Florida A&M University.

Reader's Guide

Trayvon Martin's death became a catalyst for a national movement. Following the shooting, rallies, marches, and protests were held across the United States. In March 2012, hundreds of students at his high school held a walkout in support of him. An online petition calling for a full investigation and prosecution of Zimmerman garnered 2.2 million signatures. The media coverage surrounding Martin's death became the first story of 2012 to be featured more than the presidential race. A national debate about racial profiling and stand-your-ground laws ensued, leading Florida Governor Rick Scott to appoint a task force to examine the state's self-defense laws. Martin's life was scrutinized by media and bloggers; his name was tweeted more than two million times in the 30 days following the shooting. More than 1,000 people attended the viewing of his remains the day before his funeral, which was held on March 3 in Miami. He was buried in Dade-Memorial Park (North), in Miami. A memorial was dedicated to him at the Goldsboro Westside Historical Museum, a Black history museum in Sanford, in July 2013. The case highlighted issues of racial profiling, self-defense laws, and the treatment of Black victims in the media.

Did You Know?

• At age nine, Trayvon Martin pulled his father, who had been immobilized by burns, out of a fire in their apartment, saving his life.
• Martin had wanted to fly or repair airplanes and enrolled in a seven-week aviation program run by award-winning aviator Barrington Irving.
• At the time of his death, Martin was serving a ten-day suspension for having a marijuana pipe and an empty bag containing marijuana residue.
• More than 1,000 people attended the viewing of his remains the day before his funeral.