“Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story,” a six-episode unscripted series devoted to the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin and subsequent trial of George Zimmerman, made its world premiere on Monday on the Paramount Network and BET.
The series is based on a book Martin’s parents wrote and published together last year called “Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin,” and it’s produced by Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter.
Directors Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason said they wanted “to expose what they called the systemic racism that contributed to the not-guilty verdict, as well as to provide an opportunity for Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, to share their story on the screen for the first time.”
According to Furst, the docu-series examines the current racial climate in America and also looks back at what life was like under former President Barack Obama.
“You had the first African American president and you had some people foolishly saying that we were living in a post-racial America,” Furst told the Los Angeles Times.
“And when Trayvon Martin was killed, it was an awakening for a lot of people that certain things hadn’t changed and that there was going to be far more Trayvon Martins than Barack Obamas.
“And that realization, that pain, that sense of injustice motivated a lot of people to act, and it changed the landscape of our country.”
“I hope people walk away knowing who Trayvon Martin really was,” Sybrina Fulton told The New York Times.
“I want people to walk away having a clear view of what this country is about right now, and not what they thought it is,” she added.
Martin’s father, Tracy, explained to CBS News why the series has such relevance six years after his son’s death.
“There are a lot of social injustices occurring in our communities, and the problem needs to be rectified,” Martin said.
Furst gave examples of why there needs to be continual conversations on racial injustice.
“I think you look at all the headlines, and so much has changed, but so much is the same. Look at what just happened to Ving Rhames,” Furst said.
He continued, “Look at Markeis McGlockton that’s a Stand Your Ground case. This is still a major issue in America. I think we have to face it and have conversations about it.”
