Miami, Jan. 18, 2017- Five years after his death, Trayvon Martin has become an iconic symbol of race and untimely death in America. Miami Dade College (MDC), in partnership with Books & Books, presents Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 6, at Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami. The book, written by his parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, takes readers on their inspiring journey. The event is free and open to the public.
On a February evening in 2012, in a small town in central Florida, seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin was walking home with candy and a can of juice in hand and talking on the phone with a friend when a fatal encounter with a gun-wielding neighborhood watchman ended his young life.
Five years after his tragic death, Travyon has become a symbol of social justice activism. But who was Trayvon Martin? And how did one black child’s death on a dark, rainy night in a small Florida town become the spark that lit a civil rights crusade?
Rest in Power, told through the compelling alternating narratives of Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, answers for the first time, those questions from the most intimate of sources.
Miami Book Fair
Miami Book Fair, widely considered the largest and finest literary event in the U.S., is part of MDCulture, the Cultural Affairs Department of Miami Dade College. In addition to the annual, eight-day festival that takes place on the Wolfson Campus of the College in Downtown Miami, Miami Book Fair presents literary programs throughout Miami all year long. Miami Book Fair is made possible through the generous support of the State of Florida and the National Endowment for the Arts; the City of Miami; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; Miami-Dade County Public Schools; the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; the Miami Downtown Development; and the Friends of the Fair; as well as many corporate partners.
Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College has a long and rich history of involvement in the cultural arts, providing South Florida with a vast array of artistic and literary offerings, including the Miami Book Fair International, the Center @ MDC, the Miami Film Festival, MDC Live Arts performing arts series, the Cuban Cinema Series, the Miami Leadership Roundtable speakers’ series, numerous renowned campus art galleries and theaters, and the nationally recognized School of Entertainment and Design Technology. With an enrollment of more than 165,000 students, MDC is the largest institution of higher education in the country and is a national model for many of its programs. The college’s eight campuses and outreach centers offer more than 300 distinct degree programs including baccalaureate, associate in arts and science degrees and numerous career training certificates leading to in-demand jobs. MDC has served more than 2,000,000 students and counting, since it opened its doors in 1960.
Miami Book Fair media contact: Lisa Palley, 305-642-3132, lpalley@bellsouth.net.