1,500 Crowd Pool Deck in Florida Heat to Do Symbolic Hoodie Tribute As A Party With a Purpose With New Meaning
(Fort Lauderdale – March 25) As a tribute to the slain Florida teenager Trayvon Mitchell, nearly 1,500 passengers on the 2012 Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage presented by Ford paused for a moment of silence, and draped their heads with their hands or clothes to represent Martin’s hoodie. While the cruise is traditionally, titled with the “Party with a Purpose” to support students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the sense of community rallying around Martin took hold as the ship was leaving Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.
Martin, wearing a hoodie at the time of his death, was shot by George Zimmerman in the gated community of Retreat at Twin Lakes, on Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla. The incident has sparked rallies around the country, fueled by social media and punctuated by many participants wearing hoodies.
Right before the ship sail, Joyner rallied his passengers to join him poolside to take a picture with the guests in memory of Martin. Several of the guests were wearing T-shirts that recognized Martin’s death.
For seven days and six nights, more than 3,000 passengers will be on board the Royal Caribbean International’s ‘Navigator of the Seas’™, helping to support students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This luxurious ship will be home to some of the most fantastic artists in soul music including headliner – Queen Latifah along with Fantasia, Chante Moore, SWV, Boyz II Men, Silk, H-Town, Shai, Tony Toni Toné , Yarbrough & Peoples, Rose Royce, Taste of Honey, Anita Ward, Con Funk Shun, Glen Jones, Phil Perry, Tony Terry, Michael Cooper, Keith Sweat, Guy, Bobby Valentino, and Lenny Williams.
About the Tom Joyner Morning Show and BlackAmericaweb.com
The nation’s #1 syndicated urban morning show, which airs in more than 105 markets reaching nearly 8 million listeners, has distinguished itself over the years as continuously giving back to its audience with quality programming, highly popular promotions, special events and philanthropy. Since 2004, Joyner has awarded millions in cash and prizes to contest winners and his Foundation has raised more than $60 million to help keep students in historically black colleges and universities. The Morning Show with co-hosts Sybil Wilkes, J. Anthony Brown and senior news analyst Roland Martin, also features “Inside Her Story” with Jacque Reid; political commentary from Stephanie Robinson and Jeff Johnson; entertainment reports from Kevin Frazier, as well as comedic observations from D.L. Hughley and the Celebrity Snitch Huggy Lowdown. Joyner’s website, BlackAmericaWeb.com, has more than 1.5 million registered users.
About the Tom Joyner Foundation
Founded in 1998, the Tom Joyner Foundation has focused on its primary mission of helping to keep students enrolled in Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs). The Foundation has assisted more than 20,000 students and worked with more than 100 HBCUs, raising more than $60 million. Throughout the week, the Foundation announces scholarship winners on the nationally syndicated radio show hosted by its founder, Tom Joyner. Each week, separate financial awards are focused on students who are single parents, high achievers, and distinguished male students at the ‘School of the Month’.