Trayvon Martin’s attorney encourages students to advocate for social justice

The Brown and White - Bringing you all the LeHigh News ^ | September 8, 2014 | Emma Fried

[2ndDivisionVet]

Jasmine Rand, the attorney for Trayvon Martin’s family in the State of Florida v. George Zimmerman trial, spoke at Lehigh on Thursday in a lecture called “Sexualizing Race, Gendering Sex.”

Trayvon Martin was a young African-American man walking home from a 7-Eleven in Sanford, Fla., late at night while wearing a hoodie and holding a package of Skittles. George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch coordinator for Martin’s gated community, shot him for “looking suspicious.”

Throughout the trial that followed the incident, the phrase “I am Trayvon Martin” was used to generate support for the victim.

“That phrase, it was born on a campus,” Rand told the Lehigh students in the audience.

One of Rand’s main focuses throughout the discussion was the impact that students have on the world. Rand was a professor at the time she was called upon to work on the case, and it was her students who coined the “I am Trayvon Martin” phrase.

“She was inspirational in a sense,” Paul Lyons, ’16, said. “She definitely wanted us to think as students. She spoke not as an attorney, but as a professor and a human being. She inspired us to keep thinking and use our voices and to have passion.”

Rand began the presentation by noting certain historical cases regarding “Sexualizing Race and Gendering Sex” to help the audience comprehend how far, or how little, America has come on such issues. She began by discussing lynching, saying, “lynching is not possible without sexualizing race.” For example, she said the majority of those who suffered from lynching were black men who were falsely accused of raping white women.

“Black men’s sexuality was a scapegoat for racializing and taking the black male life,” Rand said.

Just before the jury announced the verdict for the Zimmerman trial, Rand had assured Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon’s mother, that they were likely to win the case. She said having a predominantly white female jury would ensure that they sympathized with Fulton as being a mother who unjustly lost her son.

When they lost the case, Rand said she couldn’t help but think: “Does our history have something to do with it? A history that took the sexuality of white women and pitted them as a victim against black men? Is the reason (the jury) couldn’t identify with themselves as a mother of Trayvon because they saw themselves as a victim of Trayvon?”

Overall, Rand’s main objective was for the students in the audience to understand that they have the capability to ignite social change.

“Leadership is about service,” Rand said. “It’s about humbling yourself to the cause. I had to learn it’s not about me. You cannot place your success on the outcome. Success is when every time life hands you failure (…) you stand up with the same strength and continue to fight for what is right and what is justice.”

Madeleine Centrella, ’18, looked to Rand as an inspiration.

“The ultimate dream for me would be to travel to countries that want to change and develop more democratic legal systems (…) and that’s exactly what Rand did,” she said. “I was really inspired by that because that’s my dream. With everything she’s done, she really ignited a movement. It’s really incredible.”

Rand plans to continue advocating for racial equality and social justice in her future work. She recently began a campaign called “I AM the change.” The goal of the campaign is to apply Trayvon Martin’s identity to multiple cases around the world, she said.

[Dallas59]

Robbing convenience stores, battery on a store clerk, punching a cop....PRIORITIES!

[Cicero]

Eat more Skittles!

[NorthMountain]

Trayvon Martin was a young African-American man walking home from a 7-Eleven in Sanford, Fla., late at night while wearing a hoodie and holding a package of Skittles. George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch coordinator for Martin’s gated community, shot him for “looking suspicious.”

The author is a pathological liar.

[NorthMountain]

Social Justice: when they try to play the knock-out game, we play the Glock-out game.

Glock beats knock, and justice is served.

[IronJack]

First goon: “Yah, dawg. Less avocate dat likka sto!”

Second goon: “Nah, homes. I was hopin’ to apply some sosho justice to a 60-inch plasma.”

First goon: “Why choose? We can do bofe.”

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

It is interesting to contemplate what these clowns mean when the prate of “Social Justice.” I tend to think they mean; ‘give we blacks your wealth and control!’

[DeFault User]

Eat more Skittles!

And lay off that purple drank, you done Fried yo' mind.

[fhayek]

Well, bless his heart...

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

(from the article):"Jasmine Rand, the attorney for Trayvon Martin’s family in the State of Florida v. George Zimmerman trial,.."

Jasmine Rand was part of the Parks and Crump Attorney Team representing the Prosecution's case.
She was hired as a "Social Engineer" (her words) to organize and amass the social media of Twitter and Facebook, and to present favorable media releases.
A more common term, she was Public Relations coordinator for a politically motivated and politically connected prosecution who also has legal background.
Her job was to set the language, tone, of the prosecution's case to the public , ably assisted by the Dept. of "JUST-US",Division of Community Resource Services unit.
The Dept. of "JUST-US",Division of Community Resource Services unit is "Social Justice" motavators who arrainged for the "Dream Defenders" involvement and protest.
I'm not surprised that she finds the liberal State run campus envireonment to support the concept of 'Social Justice'.

[Pollster1]

Trayvon Martin was a young African-American man walking home from a 7-Eleven in Sanford, Fla., late at night while wearing a hoodie and holding a package of Skittles. George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch coordinator for Martin’s gated community, shot him for “looking suspicious.”

The suspicious part was neither the Skittles nor the hoodie, it was the attempted murder when Trayvon pounded George Zimmerman's head against the concrete that set off alarms. Somehow, Zimmerman found an assault that could have killed him to be suspicious and shot Trayvon for that assault. I'm okay with that; attempted murder is supposed to seem suspicious.

[Tucker39]

“....plans to continue advocating for....”
Sure! Why not?! She’s seen Jackson, Sharpton, et al make a career of race hustling and poverty pimping; surely there’s enough potential out there for HER to make a gig for herself, too!

[Arrowhead1952]

Success is when every time life hands you failure (…) you stand up with the same strength and continue to fight for what is right and what is justice.”

Yeah, right. Clean up your family values, you idiots. Remember the "I'll have those n*****s voting for demonrats for the next 200 years' by lbj. I am sick and tired of supporting your government tit sucking scum, laying on your sorry butt and pumping out new leeches every year.

Get a job, get off the tit and quit the drugs. Those a holes have had enough help. Time for them to move on and support themselves. No more gibsmedat from uncle sugar. One of these days, one of these days, Mr. Whitey is going to really sour on your sucking the tit and CWII will be bad for your community.

[xrmusn]

George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch coordinator for Martin’s gated community, shot him for “looking suspicious.”
= = = = = = = = = = = = =
That is a definitely a statement that should be viewed as libelous.
It is not misrepresented (providing it is a quote without a few key words on the cutting room floor).

She would have been ‘fine’ saying that TM was ‘looked at’ by GM because he looked suspicious and as a result he put himself in a position to got himself shot.

The ‘message’ to the ‘children’ should be to be aware of your surroundings and don’t go threatening or accosting people who may be willing and more than able to take you out.
That includes residents and shop owners...

In this case, the truth would have ‘saved’ her a little grief BUT we know she is not speaking on behalf of GM etal.

Jackie Childs would ‘love’ to take this woman to court for slander.

[Gargantua]

Whatta maroon. This skank is a lawyer? Words fail me.

;^\

[Verginius Rufus]

Zimmerman shot Martin because Martin was trying to grab his gun to kill him with it—he had just been telling Zimmerman that he was going to die that night.