CBS News’ Gayle King will anchor “Trayvon Martin: 10 Years Later,” a one-hour special exploring how the senseless shooting of a Florida teenager a decade ago still reverberates in America today.
BET, The CBS News Streaming Network and the Smithsonian Channel will present the special Saturday, Feb. 26 at 8:00 PM, ET. BET will air the special Monday, Feb. 28 at 8:00 PM, ET, and afterward it will stream on Paramount+.
In addition to anchoring the special, Gayle will sit down for new and emotional interviews with Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, and Breonna Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, as well as women from Mothers of the Movement, a group founded by Fulton for mothers whose children have been killed by police or gun violence. The hour will draw from Gayle King and CBS News’ extensive reporting on the shooting and the aftermath of the incident that left Trayvon dead, and will tackle the tough issues of race and the killings of young Black men in America by senseless violence.
Produced by the CBS News Race and Culture Unit, “Trayvon Martin: 10 Years Later” features the work of CBS News senior national correspondent Mark Strassmann, who reported the first national story on Trayvon Martin’s death by neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman on Feb. 26, 2012. He was later charged with second-degree murder; he was acquitted in July 2013. Strassmann talks with Tracy Martin, Martin’s father, and Ben Crump, who was a little-known attorney at the time, about why he wanted to take up the case and ensure the nation knew Trayvon’s name. CBS News special correspondent James Brown explores how Trayvon’s death prompted professional athletes to speak out in solidarity with the Martin family and jumpstart a new wave of activism. And CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan reports how Zimmerman’s acquittal set the stage for the modern Black Lives Matter movement and many of the protests that have followed over the last decade.
The special also includes new interviews with former attorney general Eric Holder and former White House senior advisor Valerie Jarrett, who were part of the Obama administration at the time of the shooting. Voices of those on the front lines of social justice are included in the special, including activists Carmen Perez and Phillip Agnew. Additionally, CBS News spoke with thought leaders such as Michael Eric Dyson; GRAMMY-nominated recording artist Fat Joe; NBA superstar Chris Paul; and sportswriter Dave Zirin.
