The six-part documentary series “Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story,” made its dramatic close on Monday, Sep. 10. The series recapped what occurred during the 2012 trial for the murder of Trayvon Martin, and how George Zimmerman’s defense team played a crucial role in his acquittal.
One of the most consequential trials in the nation's history took place only six years ago. UNM students were present during this evocative moment in history, and were either touched by the case through the television, social media or protests. This nationally broadcasted trial ultimately led to the creation of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“The whole movement of young people becoming active started with that not guilty verdict,” Reverend Al Sharpton said in an interview on the show.
After the show used the first few episodes to highlight the pivotal moments in the trial, the directors and producers continued to speak on the post-trial state of Trayvon Martin’s family, George Zimmerman and America.
The show was executively produced by recording-artist Shawn Carter, also known as Jay-Z, and Trayvon Martin’s parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton. Capturing heartfelt interviews with the parents and those who were close to Trayvon contributed some incredibly heart wrenching sequences to each episode.
However, along with those touching moments of Trayvon Martin’s family and friends still hurting from his loss, there was also heavy discussion about racism in America. The show illustrated a correlation between the 2016 Trump campaign and white supremacist movements.
Through clips of Donald Trump’s famous slogan, “Make America Great Again,” accompanied with tapes of white supremacist protests and chants, the docu-series later supported their imagery explaining why they correlated the two.
During the Trump campaign, the show commented on how there was a sudden uprising of both new and old white supremacist organizations in America, and mentioned that just one day after President Trump announced his campaign in 2015, Dylann Roof killed nine people in a South Carolina church.
On the other side of the spectrum, the show focused the Black Lives Matter movement, and how the Trayvon Martin case was a catalyst for revolution, and led to the creation of the Trayvon Martin Foundation.
What this show offered was more than was expected — more than just an overview and deeper look on what happened during the 2012 trial. The series provided an even further look on how the case has affected America today from being broadcasted on such a widespread scale.
Light was shed on other murders of African-American people in the recent years, such as Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland and more. The celebrity voices for the Black Lives Matter movement was also taken into account from public-figures across the spectrum.
“It’s time to look in the mirror and ask ourselves — what are we doing to create change?” NBA star Lebron James said in an interview featured on the show.
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What the show ultimately achieved was projecting the message that America has a long way to go with the racism that persists in this country. The reason why people may hear about race more often now is because the problem has been amplified due to the surge of media coverage.
This series can be analogized as a statement piece for the tensions that continue to emphasize the social issue climate in the U.S. The parents of Trayvon Martin want people to remember their son for who they knew him to be, and use their loss as a means to stand up for the rights of African-Americans across the country.
“I can take off my shoes, I can take off my pants, I can even take off my shirt — but I cannot remove the color of my skin,” said Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mother, in another interview on the show.
With a powerful close, the show emanated the message that the Black Lives Matter movement is not just a revolution for blacks in America to be apart of, but a movement that needs the participation of all those who are willing to fight for the rights and protections of a minority, one that needs comradery among the people in this country now more than ever.
Macey Rose is a freelance reporter with the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted by email at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @maceyrae9.
