Faculty members, students and guests discussed the impact of the trial that found George Zimmerman not guilty in the death of the 17 year old Trayvon Martin at a luncheon on Thursday. 

The event, titled Trayvon Martin and Social Justice: Next Steps, was hosted by the African-American Cultural Arts Center as one of its Lunch and Learn events. 

Darryl Lester, assistant director of AACC, moderated the discussion, which featured a five member panel of outside professionals, faculty and students who led the talk.

Martin’s death, which occurred Feb. 26, 2012, received national media attention. He was an unarmed, African-American teenager who was shot and killed while walking home from a convenience store.

In the discussion, panelist shared personal outlooks about the case and opened dialogue for the attendees to join in the discussion.

It started with a question directed to the panelists, asking what they thought when they first heard of Martin’s death.

“My initial reaction was deep anger and shock and deep fears,” said panelist Erin Byrd, political strategist with Blueprint NC. 

According to Byrd, police officers or vigilantes kill an African-American person every 36 hours. She said 120 people died between January and July.

The discussion placed an emphasis on how African-American males are viewed in American society and the subsequent effects on African-American communities.

“I have to navigate differently as a person of color,” said panelist Atrayus Goode, founder of Movement of Youth, Inc.

Goode shared his personal experiences with discrimination as an African-American male and shared the importance of mentoring youth about dealing with racism. 

Goode said Martin was an example of racial profiling, which happens far too often to African-American males.

Goode’s nonprofit, Movement of Youth, Inc., works with about 200 students within the Triangle and consists of close to 70 mentors.

Throughout the discussion, Goode spoke about the importance of being active in the African-American community and challenging problems such as racial profiling.

“We need to be there for people and show up,” said Goode.

According to panelist Sheila Smith McKoy, director of AACC, the U.S. was founded on a system of racism. She says that it is important to address the need for policy when addressing racial profiling.

 “The best America can do is admit to its racial woes,” McKoy said.

The luncheon ended with the question of where the country should go next. Panelists talked about the importance of young people taking action throughout the country to make change.

“Build an alternative to what you fight against” Byrd said. 

She encouraged people who want to get involved in causes related to racism, and approach solutions through creating finding ways to help combat problems such as racial profiling.

Students of the panel were Lynette Neal, a senior in Africana studies and Brayndon Stafford, a sophomore and work study student of AACC.