Jay Z has a strong track record of supporting causes he believes in. While taking a break from music in 2003, he formed The Shawn Carter Foundation, which helps students facing socio-economic hardship through college. In 2008, he created a trust fund for the children of Sean Bell, an unarmed 23-year-old who was shot and killed by police. And last year, he and Beyoncé donated $1.5 million to the Black Lives Matter movement. As one of the music industry’s top grossing artists, Jay Z has given a voice and support to many under-represented fighters and survivors, and those who have lost their lives to police brutality.
Yesterday, Variety confirmed that Jay Z, along with the Weinstein Company, has won the bidding war for the rights to two books about Trayvon Martin and will be turning them into a docu-series and film.
Martin was killed in 2012 by George Zimmerman, who has claimed he shot the unarmed 17-year-old in self-defense after the two became involved in a physical altercation. Zimmerman’s acquittal on a second-degree murder charge sparked protests around the country and paved the way for the Black Lives Matter movement.
The two books, Suspicion Nation by Lisa Bloom and Rest in Power by Martin’s parents, will form the basis of a six-part series that Jay Z will co-produce. In addition, the Weinstein studio has plans to make a feature film. The company also produced the critically acclaimed movie Fruitvale Station, about the death of Oscar Grant, an unarmed black man who was killed in 2009 by a police officer.
According to Variety, Jay Z met with the Weinstein Group and Martin’s parents last month and made it clear that by producing the upcoming series he is most concerned with honoring Trayvon Martin’s life and legacy.
Credits
Text Jo Rosenthal
Photography via Flicker user Whittlz via Creative Commons