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Father of Trayvon Martin Testifies on Capitol Hill

Tracy Martin, the father of young, murder victim, Trayvon Martin testified on Capitol Hill pledging to not give up on getting justice for his son.

"I think, to a man, the greatest gift from a woman is son. And to have that son taken away from you when you've molded him into becoming an upstanding citizen of this country, it's heart wrenching and something that you can never get over."

Mr. Martin said his son was his hero.



Mr. Martin spoke on Capitol Hill as part of a forum titled "The Status of Black Males: Ensuring Our Boys Mature Into Strong Men", created by the Congressional Black Caucus. The forum was lead by Sen. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and included Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL), author and professor Micheal Eric Dyson, and former NAACP president Kwiesi Mfume.

Said Ms. Norton, “The issues are spread across the spectrum of the life of Black males in America today – clothed in stereotypes from their years as boys, as youths, and as men.  We seek a society that does not define Black men and boys, but allows African American males the opportunity to define themselves as individuals. Today, Trayvon helps the Caucus bring Black men and boys to center stage.”

The CBC is a bi-partisan congressional organization. Their motto is "We envision a world in which the Black community is free of all disparities and able to contribute fully to advancing the common good."

Watch today's forum in its entirety discussion here.


Related
Jesse Jackson calls for release of Marissa Alexander, victim of Florida's stand your ground law.

Said Jackson, "This is such a classic expression of how subjective the Stand Your Ground laws are. One guy murders a man in cold blood and he’s walking free; [a] woman shoots to defend herself from an aggressive husband […] and she’s serving 20 years in jail.”




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