OVIEDO, Fla. – Members of the University of Central Florida chapter of the activist group Dream Defenders along with other students spent Thursday night hosting a vigil and speak out to honor Trayvon Martin.
[PHOTOS: UCF groups hold Martin vigil]
Martin was shot during a fatal confrontation with George Zimmerman in February of 2012. Zimmerman was recently acquitted of second-degree murder.
Even the rain didn't stop more than a hundred students from gathering at UCF to honor Martin's life and demand justice after the Zimmerman verdict.
Students lit candles as the UCF gospel choir sang and then led the group in prayer. The students then marched from the bookstore to the student union chanting the entire way.
Deondria Smith, an incoming freshman participated.
"I have a brother that's 17. He walks around with a hoodie all the time," Smith said. "He drinks Arizona, he eats skittles and that's a weapon apparently. That could have been my brother."
Stacey Martin told Local 6 she came out to support change in the Stand Your Ground law.
"We need to vote more," Martin said. "We need to speak up about our rights because we are the future."
The students heard from several speakers including Natalie Jackson, a Martin family attorney. She encouraged them to call Gov. Rick Scott's office to demand a special legislature on the Stand Your Ground law.
Jackson also encouraged them to try and make it up to the nation's capital on Aug. 24, where there will be a march on Washington.
The Dream Defenders are a statewide organization. It is described as a group that is intent on social change by nonviolent civil disobedience and direct action, while creating a sustainable network of youth and student leaders to take action on issues that impact their communities.