Trayvon Martin Day at a Pittsburgh high school was meant to bring students together and raise social awareness while commemorating the life of the unarmed African-American teen who was shot and killed last year by George Zimmerman, the Daily News reports.
Instead it resulted in a loud public outcry from parents, who called it divisive. The homecoming committee at the diverse Carrick High School had asked students to wear hoodies, much like the one Trayvon wore the night he was slain. But the event was changed to Bucco Hat Day, with a focus on school spirit rather than social awareness.
"It brought up some controversy to the point where there were people giving mixed signals about it," said Javon Jordan, a member of the homecoming committee, to the CBS affiliate.
Indeed, the firestorm of controversy at Carrick High School appears to represent deep divisions in America over Zimmerman's acquittal this summer in Trayvon's death. The nation is in need of healing, and that appears to be just what students were attempting to provide.
Read more at the Daily News.