In response to Ebony magazine’s controversial September covers (above), outraged conservatives are calling for a boycott of the magazine. The covers in question show prominent black celebrities such as Spike Lee and Dwayne Wade dressed similarly to how Trayvon Martin is supposed to have been dressed on the night he was killed. The magazine declares: “We Are Trayvon.”
Conservative website Twitchy hit the magazine with the accusation that:
It’s much easier to slap on a hoodie and pretend to fight for social justice than to recognize a black American is more likely to be murdered by another black American than some “White Hispanic” man.
(Getty)
Meanwhile over on another conservative website, Breitbart.com, commenters were animated about the covers:
boycott the [Miami] Heat and the magazine!
-SueJer
Another, PinkSmoke21, took aim at Dwayne Wade, saying:
I guess what wade is saying is he isn’t beneath sucker punching and threatening to kill someone else just trying to protect their property… Well said…. I think we understand now… You do what you have to do, go ahead and enter my neighborhood in yo hoodie dog…
Ebony magazine responded to the criticism with their tongue firmly in their cheek:
We have so many Tea Party readers and followers. To lose all zero of them due to our September cover would be devastating.
— EBONY (@EBONYMag) August 7, 2013
On July 13, George Zimmerman was acquitted of the murder of teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida based on the state’s controversial “Stand your ground” law. Zimmerman shot Martin on February 26 2012 as he pursued him through a gated community in Sanford, Florida.
In response to the verdict several prominent celebrities have promised to boycott Florida as long as “Stand your ground” remains on the books.