Twitter’s response to the murder of Trayvon Martin has made the hoodie a national symbol in the slain 17-year-old’s family’s fight for justice. On Wednesday, one congressman whipped Twitter into a frenzy when he brought that symbol into the House of Representatives.
Representative Bobby Rush was escorted from the House floor this morning while speaking about Martin’s death. Midway through his speech, the Democrat from Illinois removed his suit coat, put on a pair of sunglasses, and pulled the hood of a sweatshirt over his head, much to the chagrin of the Rep. Greg Harper (R–Miss), who was presiding over the House floor at the time.
Congress has a rule about wearing hats on the House floor. Hoodies fall under that particular classification.
On Twitter, Rush’s name became a trending topic shortly after news broke. According to Topsy, Bobby Rush has been mentioned more than 2,000 times since this morning’s session, with many of the tweets showing support for the outspoken member of Congress.
“Bobby Rush taking a stand for #Trayvonmartin gives me hope for politics,” wrote singer Joel Madden. “The examination of our system & of ourselves is POSITIVE.”
“Keep standing up for what you believe in,” wrote Chicago native Joel Hadley. “Like Rep. Bobby Rush.”
“salute to Bobby Rush,” added GlobalGrind’s Michael Skolnik. “#HoodiesUp #JusticeForTrayvon”
Shortly after his removal, Rush, a member of the Black Panther party in the 1960s, spoke with CNN about why he chose to make the statement in support of Martin:
“This is just another part of the struggle,” he said. “I’ve never left those days. Those days are deep down in my soul.”