The parents of murdered teen Trayvon Martin are publishing a book about his life. The death of Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton’s son caused a national firestorm that gave birth to a modern-day Civil Rights Movement.
George Zimmerman fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon in 2012. Following a trial lasting more than a year, a jury ultimately found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder, Atlanta Black Star reported.
Now, Trayvon’s parents want to tell the full story of his life. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the pair signed a book deal with Random House’s One World.
One World is the multicultural imprint of the company, which Christopher Jackson rebooted. Jackson is the most prominent African-American editor in publishing.
The memoir, titled Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin, is due Jan. 31, 2017. It comes just before what would have been Trayvon’s 22nd birthday — Feb. 5 — and the fifth anniversary of his killing on Feb. 26.
“Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin” (Random House)
“It’s amazing,” Jackson said of the book. “Everyone who’s been reading the manuscript is in tears by the second chapter. It’s not just about the mournful story about losing a child, but it’s also how that moment ignited this global movement.”
The Black Lives Matter movement launched after originating as a hashtag in response to Trayvon’s death. Since then, it has become a worldwide effort condemning police brutality.
“It first brings Trayvon back to life as the full, three-dimensional, complex kid he was, through his parents’ eyes,” Jackson remarked, “and then to the dark and confusing days following his death, which slowly transform into the blossoming of a powerful, historic movement for change and healing that we’re still watching unfold five years later.”
Since Trayvon’s death, many Black men and women have been shot and killed. Most recently, the fatal police shootings of Keith Scott and Terence Crutcher made headlines.
But activism continues to grow as well. San Francisco 49ers player Colin Kaepernick began protesting the national anthem to spotlight oppression of Black Americans. Several other athletes has since joined him.
