New road in Florida named after Trayvon Martin

Updated: Nov 5, 2020 / 03:59 PM CST

Sybrina Fulton, center and Tracy Martin, parents of Trayvon Martin, hold street signs with their son’s name, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The street on the way to Martin’s former school was renamed in his honor, eight years after he was killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

MIAMI (NewsNation Now) — A section of the road that leads to Trayvon Martin’s former high school now honors him. Martin was 17 years old when he was shot to death by George Zimmerman in 2012. His death has sparked a social justice movement.

The road became Trayvon Martin Avenue during a brief ceremony on Thursday morning near Dr. Michael K. Krop Senior High, where the teen was in 11th grade when he was killed.

The Miami-Dade County Commission approved the new name last month.

“Our students every morning will come out here and see the road that bears Trayvon’s name. His name will continue forever,” said principal Adam Kosnitzky.

Martin was shot dead while visiting his father in Sanford, in Central Florida. He was unarmed and walking back from a convenience store when he was shot by Zimmerman after the two engaged in a struggle.

Zimmerman’s acquittal under Florida’s self-defense law in July 2013 sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.