Jay Z Joined Marchers At The Peace Walk & Peace Talk In Miami

Michael Kovac/Getty Images for NARAS

Jay Z Joined Trayvon Martin’s Parents At Miami Rally

Jay Z attended the sixth annual Peace Walk & Peace Talk in Miami Gardens on Saturday, which included him giving a speech that put Trayvon Martin’s character aligned with leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.

Shawn Carter joined hundreds of marchers at the rally to honor victims of gun violence, of course including Trayvon Martin, who was shot and killed in February of 2012. Jay joined Trayvon’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, on stage at the Betty T. Ferguson Amphitheater.

Hov said in his speech, “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.” He also spoke on Trayvon saying, “His name will sit alongside the greats whom lost their lives to push our culture forward — the Martin Luther Kings, the Gandhis. 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.”

Brenda Martin Providence, a friend of Trayvon’s mother, said she didn’t expect to see the high-profile rapper like Hov show up without a publicized appearance:  “It means a lot to the community when you see people like Jay-Z who come out to support your cause. 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.”