Silk rose worn by Marion Evans at the 2016 Democratic National Convention

On the evening of February 26, 2012, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin left his father’s house in Sanford, Florida, to go to the convenience store. While walking back home, he was confronted by an armed neighborhood watch captain who had reported him to police as a “suspicious person.” A struggle ensued, and Martin was shot and killed. Public outcry over his death and the neighborhood watch captain's acquittal on murder charges sparked the formation of the Black Lives Matter national protest movement.