1st Annual Trayvon Martin Candlelight Vigil: A Desire for Justice
On February 26th, 2012, Trayvon Martin, an innocent African American 17 year old boy was shot in Florida by George Zimmerman, a multiracial individual. The death of Trayvon Martin has been viewed as one of our generation’s most unjust happenings and has made the “Stand Your Ground” case one of the most imperative of our time. This year, on February 26th, 2013, the Vanderbilt National Association of the Advancement of Colored People Chapter honored the life of Trayvon Martin at Benton Chapel on Vanderbilt University’s campus for the 1st Annual Trayvon Martin Candlelight Vigil: A Desire for Justice. The Office of Religious Life, Voices of Praise, a Vanderbilt gospel choir, the Black Student Alliance, an organization created to foster the needs of Black Vanderbilt Students, and the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center, a facility created to celebrate and foster Black culture and motives, were co-sponsors for the event and instrumental in the success it presented to the Vanderbilt and Nashville communities.
With about 100 people in attendance, Channel 5 News of Nashville was in for a real treat, a night of honor, recognition, and respect among college students and members of the greater Nashville community. The event will become an annual Vanderbilt NAACP Chapter event and will continue to impact and remind others about the importance of the injustice that Trayvon Martin and his family have had to withstand. Professor Evelyn Patterson gave significant remarks at the event regarding the case and our legal system while Reverend Mark Forrester,University Chaplain and Director of Religious Life, prayed at the ceremony prior to lighting the candles. With so many people in hoodies to represent what Trayvon was wearing at the time of his death, the vigil created a heartfelt and warm presence in Benton Chapel that students, community members, and other supporters will never forget. JUSTICE FOR TRAYVON.
Click the image for photos of the event.
