On Feb. 26, 2012, a 17-year old African-American was shot to death in Sanford, Florida, triggering a wave of civil rights activism. Armed with a can of pop and a bag of Skittles, Trayvon Martin was gunned down by George Zimmerman, a Neighbourhood Watch volunteer who claimed he felt threatened by the unarmed teenager. Following Zimmerman’s acquittal, thousands of Americans protested the injustice. Although social activism was already prominent in the African-American community, this event propelled it onto the world stage. From there, the Black Lives Matter movement was born.
