Dear MoveOn member, Wearing a hoodie on the House floor.
That got Representative Bobby Rush thrown out on Wednesday, even as he quoted from the Bible on justice and the end of oppression.1
Rep. Rush is one of millions calling for justice for Trayvon Martin, a young black man in a hoodie, gunned down last month in Sanford, Florida. Trayvon's killer, George Zimmerman, still hasn't been arrested—and the wheels of justice can't turn until he is.
Tomorrow in Sanford, MoveOn members will join Trayvon's family, the NAACP, SEIU, and other allies in a march for justice. And across the country, we can show our solidarity with Saturday's march by taking a picture of ourselves with a hoodie and making it our profile picture on Facebook and Twitter.
This campaign began with a cry for justice from Trayvon's parents, and grew online through huge petitions (including one by MoveOn member Maria Roach) and a massive response on social media from celebrities and millions of everyday people standing against racism and racial profiling. So, while Trayvon's family keeps the pressure on in the streets of Sanford, we need to keep up the pressure online, where this campaign grew into a national movement.
Click below to make your stand for Trayvon (and don't worry—we have handy instructions on how to change your Facebook or Twitter profile pic):
Join the march for justice online by changing your profile picture for Trayvon.
George Zimmerman followed Trayvon, a young black man in a hoodie, because he looked "suspicious."2 Zimmerman made an unjustified assumption about who Trayvon was, and that assumption led to Trayvon's death. That's why we have to keep the pressure on the system to make sure justice is served.
We've partnered with the creators of MillionHoodi.es, along with the NAACP, ColorOfChange, and other allies to make this online solidarity movement huge, with hundreds of thousands of us posting our hoodies photos in social media—and making them our profile picture.
But in order to be effective, people need to see hoodie photos everywhere they look online. So click below to change your profile pic and join the millions of other hoodies online for Trayvon Martin on Saturday.
Join the million hoodie movement for justice for Trayvon by changing your profile photo for Saturday's march.
Thanks for all you do.
–Garlin, Mark, Elena, Ryan, and the rest of the team
P.S. If you don't have a Facebook or Twitter account—don't worry. You can upload your hoodie photo and post it online through a handy tool on MoveOn's site, and it will go online through Flikr too. Just click here to become part of one million hoodies.
Sources:
1. "Bobby Rush, Illinois Congressman, Thrown Off House Floor For Wearing Hoodie (VIDEO), The Huffington Post, March 28, 2012 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=273640&id=38316-7986845-QOao1ox&t=5
2. "The Curious Case of Trayvon Martin," The New York Times, March 16, 2012 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=273641&id=38316-7986845-QOao1ox&t=6
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