By Jason Luntz

Nashville was one of nearly 100 cities where protesters stood outside federal buildings on Saturday to express outrage over the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed Trayvon Martin last year in Florida.

The local rally was part of a nationwide effort after the National Action Network (NAN), Rev. Al Sharpton’s civil-rights organization, called for protests labeled “Justice for Trayvon” rallies.

Starting at around noon, people gathered outside the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, at 801 Broadway  in Nashville.  They held signs, prayed together and listened intently to several speakers, including local civil-rights leaders and community organizers.

Signs being held at Justice For Trayvon Rally in Nashville, TN. Photo By: Melissa Watkins

Vanderbilt Ph.D student and NAN member Magaela Bethune was responsible for answering the call to action set out by her national organization. Along with John Smith of Johnsmithmarketing.com, Bethune helped bring together various Nashville based organizations to plan the rally.

“I did not see one being planned, so I literally made a Facebook group to save the date,” Bethune explained. “When I found out there was nobody that was going to answer the call for Nashville, I decided to pull community organizers together to host the vigil.”

The theme shared among participants and attendees was a demand to repeal stand-your-ground laws and that the Department of Justice file federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman, who said he shot Martin in self-defense.

According to Bethune there was over 500 people at the rally.

Citizens gather at the District Court for The Middle District of Tennessee Saturday afternoon. Photo By: Rasheedat Fetuga.

Rasheedat Fetuga, Founder of Gideon’s Army, one of the community organizations that helped participate in the rally, was excited about the amount of people in attendance. “The way people turned out to the prayer vigil for Trayvon Martin shows that there is a commitment to ending racial injustice in America,” said Fetuga. “Our voices will be heard, but lasting change requires sweat equity and we are ready to put in the work it takes to get there.”

The speakers were a mixture of white and black,  as well as Christians, Muslim, and Atheists.  There was an intentional decision to give attendees voices from various communities throughout Nashville.

A diverse crowd attended the Trayvon Martin Rally in Nashville. Photo By: Rasheedat Fetuga

Remaining peaceful throughout the event was also a decision shared by NAN and was a part of the initial call to action.  According to Bethune the organizers were advised to make sure the vigils remained non-violent as this was the first step in the change that NAN and the Nashville community is seeking.

As the temperatures rose into the 90’s, participants did not allow the heat to deter them, even to the point that there were reports of some people passing out. The crowd continued to participate in prayers, singing, and chanting.

Blogger and owner of fabglancenashville.com, Melissa Watkins, felt the rally did a lot to help Nashville citizens understand what course of actions can be taken. “This event served as an information session and a catalyst of conversation for the Nashville community,” said Watkins. “The organizers answered questions and helped the public understand how the verdict and the death of Trayvon affects our community, I feel that Nashville will move forward in the fight for justice.”

Members of Zeta Phi Beta at the Justice For Trayvon rally in Nashville, TN. Photo By: Rasheedat Fetuga

The rally came at the end of a week full of news coverage and political statements in reference to the recent Zimmerman verdict. Friday morning President Obama, in a surprise appearance in the White House press room, spoke honestly about the distrust that follows many African-American men in the United States. He went as far as saying he personally has drawn nervous stares on elevators and heard car locks clicking when he walked down the street.

“There are very few African-American men in this country who haven’t had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store,” he said. “That includes me.”

Earlier this week U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that his department would investigate whether Zimmerman could be charged under federal civil rights laws. This would require evidence that Zimmerman held racial animosity against Martin.

Holder said the shooting does establish the need to re-examine stand-your-ground laws.

For now Nashville organizers are happy they were able to do their part in the national conversation.

“I was very happy to contribute to this cause and to continue a national conversation around these issues as well as a local narrative about issues that are affecting Nashville,” stated Bethune.  “We were able to stay true to the call of action to the federal investigation of the death of Trayvon Martin, as well as highlight the issues and efforts right here in Nashville.”

Featured Image by Melissa Watkins