Why I Became an Abolitionist
Activist and organizer Brea Baker recounts her journey to abolition after Trayvon Martin's death.
On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police killed George Floyd, igniting a wave of protests for racial justice across America and beyond. Two years later, we're looking back with Pride & Protest, a package of stories about activism, the Black Lives matter movement, and the fight to change the world.
On February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin was assassinated. I use the word assassinated because his murder was absolutely political—especially for Black America. Like Trayvon, I was 17 years old at the time. Up until that point, I believed in a post-racial America. I had come of age without the influence of social media and lived in a predominantly Black and Brown community where everyone was on similar socioeconomic footing, which insulated me from structural injustices.