Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
'The Ballad of George Zimmerman': A short play about the Trayvon Martin incident
Listen
• 10:33
Lorenz Arnell, left, and Kevin Yungman in a special DouglasPlus reading of “Facing Our Truth: Ten-Minute Plays on Trayvon, Race and Privilege,” presented at Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre in July.
(
Ryan Miller
)
The recent fatal shooting of 18-year old Michael Brown by a Missouri policeman once again has people talking about the risks of being a young black man in America.
Artists — including the rapper J Cole and R&B singer Frank Ocean — are responding to that tragedy. In a way, the response from the creative community mirrors what happened following the confrontation that left Trayvon Martin dead in a 2012 incident in Florida..
Earlier this summer, L.A.'s Center Theater Group revisited the fatal clash between Martin and George Zimmerman in "Facing Our Truth: Ten Minute Plays on Trayvon, Race and Privilege."
One of the plays is titled "The Ballad of George Zimmerman" — written by Dan O'Brien with the composer Quetzal Flores. O'Brien approached Flores about the idea of adding music to the story and trying to focus on how the enormity of these people's lives come down to one moment.
Support for LAist comes from
"Music gives them an opportunity to embody it in a certain way," said Flores, who founded the activist L.A. band, Quetzal, 20 years ago. "It's sort of telling of the schizophrenic nature of who Zimmerman actually is."
O'Brien said he was attracted to the project by the opportunity to address race and identity and how those constructs intersect in America.
"[The shooter's] name is George Zimmerman," O'Brien noted. "Which says to a lot of people one type of person. A lot of people didn't know he was Latino to some degree. So I wanted to explore something that was complex and full of irony and would make me doubt myself, just like the characters hopefully have to confront certain things about their identity as well."
Flores believes it's impossible to not talk about race, class and gender, and this project was an outlet to tackle those issues.
"It's not a black-and-white issue anymore," Flores said. "I think it's really important for us to look more broadly at things and to be able to understand life in that way."
"Facing Our Truth: Ten Minute Plays on Trayvon, Race and Privilege" was presented by L.A.'s Center Theater Group with The New Black Fest of New York.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
After rising for years, the number of residential installations in the city of Los Angeles began to drop in 2023. The city isn’t subject to recent changes in state incentives, but other factors may be contributing to the decline. -
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs.
-
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
Best of LAist