Trayvon Martin to have street named after him

Trayvon Martin Avenue will replace a section of Northeast 16th Avenue

This week, Miami-Dade commissioners approved a request from Trayvon Martin’s high school to rename and dedicate a street to him.

Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High will rename part of Northeast 16th Avenue, between Ives Dairy Road and Northeast 209th Street, after Martin.

The new street name will be Trayvon Martin Avenue.

Read More: Trayvon Martin’s mom, Sybrina Fulton, lost her political bid

“Trayvon Martin was a typical teenager who enjoyed playing video games, listening to music, watching movies, and talking and texting on the phone,” read the resolution, whose primary sponsor was Commissioner Barbara Jordan, the outgoing District 1 commissioner, the Miami Herold reported. 

Martin “was also developing advanced mechanical skills and, among other things, was known to be able to build and fix dirt bikes… Martin intended to stay close to home and attend college at either the University of Miami or Florida A&M University.”

People along with New York City Council members attend a press conference to call for justice in the February 26 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, on the steps of City Hall March 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

In 2012, Martin, 17, was attending his junior year at the school when he was killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman.

The high schooler was visiting his father in Sanford, Orlando and was walking back from a convenience store with Skittles in his hands.

Martin was unarmed when Zimmerman, who was 28 at the time, began following the boy. Eventually, Martin was shot and died.

The teen’s death would kick off a nationwide movement for racial justice.

Read More: Naomi Osaka: Trolls who said ‘keep politics out of sports’ inspired me to win

Sybrina Fulton, Martin’s mother, campaigned with Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election.

As theGrio previously reported, Fulton launched her own political campaign, although she lost the race by fewer than 350 votes to Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert for the District 1 seat on the County Commission.

Martin has become a symbol of the fight against racial profiling of Black young men and racial injustice after Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter, after a jury determined Zimmerman was acting in self-defense.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!

Mentioned in this article:

More About: