We are all Trayvon Martin.
That was the message from a group of Harlem high school students from Democracy Prep High School. They organized an event to demand justice for the slain Florida teen and his family.
A group of around 100 students in grades 9 through 11 wore hooded sweatshirts over their school uniforms, linked arms and silently marched through central Harlem. The line of students wound their way down 135th St. to the Harlem YMCA carrying signs that said, "I am Trayvon Martin," as passers by stopped to voice their support and words of approval.
Sophomore Anthony Wright was on of the organizers of the march. “I feel like if nobody stands up for justice, his family will never get justice. It'll just be a case of another black kid dying, the way people think how it's supposed to be,” he said.
The students at the all Black and Latino high school organized the event to raise money and awareness for the Justice for Trayvon Martin Foundation, and to protest Florida's "stand your ground" law.
"I feel like there is a connection, that could have been one of us," freshman Victoria Rodriguez said. "A lot of teenagers wear hoodies, buy Arizonas and candy, and since we understand that we could have been in his shoes, it's the proper way to put a stop to something that shouldn't just be swept under the rug."
The hoodie has become a symbol for Martin. View the slideshow to see what the hoodie represents to the students who marched.