Attendees at the annual Peace Walk & Peace Talk in Miami, held in honor of the late Trayvon Martin, were met with a pleasant surprise when mogul and social activist Jay-Z popped up to deliver a few remarks on Martin's legacy.
It was at the Betty T. Ferguson Amphitheater that Jay stood by the side of Trayvon Martin's mother Sybrina Fulton and father Tracy Martin to deliver a speech before a crowd of hundreds.
"We want to make sure that we stand and support and never forget that Trayvon serves as a beacon of light to the people out here so you guys will never have to go through the pain and hurt that these guys went through," Hov said.
He went on to add that "[Trayvon's] name will sit alongside the greats who lost their lives to push our culture forward — the Martin Luther Kings, the Gandhis. That’s the intention that we set, that his name serves as a beacon of light and hope to push us in a better direction, so thank you guys for your support. Thank you for being here."
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It was back in 2013 that the unarmed 17-year old Martin was gunned down by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman would avoid a conviction on the murder on the basis of Florida's Stand Your Ground Law. This year would have marked Martin's 23rd birthday.
“It means a lot to the community when you see people like Jay-Z who come out to support your cause,” Brenda Martin Providence, a friend of Trayvon Martin's mother, told the Miami Herald of Jay-Z's appearance. “With everything going on, we all need to support the cause because our youth are dying in the streets. A lot of mothers are missing their children. For me, personally, my son will be 40 in a couple of days and I have two grandsons. We all need to come out and show our support and walk for the community.”
