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Jay-Z Joined Hundreds Of Marchers In Miami To Honor Victims Of Gun Violence

Hov compared Trayvon Martin to others in history who helped move Black culture forward.

Jay-Z’s support of Trayvon Martin’s family and story is well-known and today's (February 10) events proved no different.

Hov attended the sixth annual Peace Walk & Peace Talk in Miami Gardens on Saturday and compared the young man’s story alongside others who have tried to make this world a better place.

Joining hundreds of marchers at the rally, which aims at honoring victims of gun violence, Jay reminded everyone of why Trayvon’s life was taken way too early.

“We want to make sure that we stand and support and never forget that Trayvon serves as a beacon of light to the people out here. So you guys never have to go through the pain and hurt that these guys went through,” Jay Z said, alongside Brenda Martin Providence, a friend of Trayvon’s mother.

“His name will sit alongside the greats whom lost their lives to push our culture forward — the Martin Luther Kings, the Gandhis,” he continued. “That’s the intention we set so his name will serve as a beacon of light and hope to push our culture forward in a better direction."

Martin Providence said Jay-Z was not expected to attend and his appearance was not publicized but is glad he showed out and supported.

“It means a lot to the community when you see people like Jay Z who come out to support your cause,” she said. “With everything going on, we all need to support the cause because our youth are dying in the streets. A lot of mothers are missing their children. For me, personally, my son will be 40 in a couple of days and I have two grandsons. We all need to come out and show our support and walk for the community.”

17-year-old Trayvon was murdered while walking back to his father’s home from a convenience store by George Zimmerman. Under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, Zimmerman was able to win an acquittal for his role in the death. Trayvon Martin’s story is one that helped spark the Black Lives Matter movement and drew international attention to injustice of the American legal system and the racial bias that still remains in the United States.

Previously, Jay-Z teamed up with the Weinstein Company to produce a six-part documentary series about Trayvon’s case for the Paramount Network.

Trayvon Martin would’ve been 23 on February 5.

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