Jay-Z’s "Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story" Releases First Teaser

The first teaser for East Hamptonite Jay-Z’s Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story documentary mini-series has just been released, ending Black History Month with a painful reminder of the long history of racial injustice in this country.

The six-part series is based on the book Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin written by Trayvon’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin. The book details the story of the 17-year-old high school student, who was shot and killed by neighborhood watch member George Zimmerman in 2012. Zimmerman claimed he shot Trayvon in self-defense despite the fact that the boy was unarmed, but was nonetheless acquitted on a second-degree murder charge. His not guilty verdict was met with confusion and outrage all over the country and played a large role in igniting the Black Live Matter protests, which have since developed into a full-blown international movement for racial equality.

The veracious series will not only portray the events leading up to and directly following after Trayvon’s murder; it will also delve into race, politics, power, money, the American criminal justice system and the role each one played in the gruesome story. The teaser trailer features headlines and sound bites from the news coverage of the murder and criminal case, including, “He was just a kid” and “They say that time heals all wounds. It does not.”

Viacom plans to premiere the series in conjunction with the July relaunch of Spike TV as the newly rebranded Paramount Network. Harvey Weinstein was originally going to co-produce the documentary, but has since been cut from the project due to his recent and widely reported sexual assault scandals. The series will now be executive produced by Jay-Z, Chachi Senior, Michael Gasparro, Jenner Furst, Julia Willougby Nason, Nick Sandow and Trayvon’s parents.

Watch the trailer below: