Tag: Trayvon Martin

MAR 30, 2012 - The shooting death of Trayvon Martin was painful for Seattle-based musician Okanomode, and he could relate to the profiling that probably played a role in the death of Trayvon and tells JTMP, “I myself am a young black gay male growing up in America & know first hand what it's like to live in fear of attack by police or others who might fear me simply on the basis of both my blackness &  my gender expression, & i feel more than ever that community is so necessary in these painful times.” He was so moved by the event he composed "Song For Trayvon", check it out below.

MAR 29, 2012 - Chaka Khan and others have released a tribute music video titled "Super Life" in honor of Trayvon Martin, and in response to the possibility that Trayvon Martin wearing a hoodie may have played a role in him being profiled by his killer. The video is also sort of a PSA campaign, with people wearing hoodies saying "I am Trayvon, I am [their name], Fear Kills, Love Heals". Chaka gets some help from friends including Angela Bassett, Eva Pigford, Eric Benet, Kelly Price, Kenny Latimore, Loretta Devine and Kimberly Elise. Chaka wears a hoodie in the video and sings:

"Another mama is cryin'
"Cause another young man has gone and died
He's not some statistic
He's an awesome destiny denied"

MAR 26, 2012 - Activist rapper musician Jasiri X, whom JTMP has blogged about when posting about Occupy Wall Street, has wrote and put out a music video titled, "A Song for Trayvon" in honor of Trayvon Martin, the young man shot and killed in Florida last month. Check out the performance at the House of the Lord Church in Brooklyn, New York in a video below. To sign a petition calling for justice for Trayvon, visit MoveOn.org, and also you can text "Trayvon" to 30644. The hashtag is #SongForTrayvon.

MAR 26, 2012 - Justice Through Music has added a "hoodie" to our logo to show support for Trayvon Martin's family, and to join the calls for justice for Trayvon Martin. We think a young man getting shot for wearing a hoodie, or quite possibly because of his skin color, is a horrible crime, and we add our voice to the calls for the arrest and prosecution of his killer. If you would like to add your voice to the call for justice, sign the petition over at Change.org.

MAR 26, 2012 - Last Friday on March 23, 2012 in Tampa, Florida Bruce Springsteen performed his controversial song "American Skin (41 Bullets)", a song he had only performed twice before. The song was written back in 2000 and was about the horrible shooting death of Amadou Diallo, who was shot by police 41 times when he was taking out his wallet. When Bruce performed the song in Atlanta back in 2000, the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association called for the boycott of Bruce Springsteen when he came to Madison Square Garden in NYC, where he sang the song again. The call for a boycott had no effect, Springsteen did an amazing 10-show run at MSG.

Many people are saying it is obvious the recent shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Florida last month inspired Springsteen to perform the song again. Millions of people and us here at JTMP have been shocked and horrified by the hunting down and murdering of a young man, and that the murderer is free. There is a petition over at Change.org with over 2 million signatures calling for the prosecution of the killer. The lines from the song unfortunately show in America you still can get shot for the color of your skin:

Well, is it a gun, is it a knife 
Is it a wallet, this is your life 
It ain't no secret (it ain't no secret) 
No secret my friend 
You can get killed just for living in your American skin

Listen to audio of the performance of "American Skin (41 Shots)" below.