Watch Rachel Jeantel’s First Public Interview Since Zimmerman Verdict

Before Trayvon Martin was a martyr, he was a friend.

By Jamilah King Jul 16, 2013

It’s hard to watch Rachel Jeantel’s interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan. And it’s not because of the way she speaks. But because you’re watching a heartbroken young woman recount painful memories of a friend who was murdered. One of the most striking things about the segment is the tenderness with which Jeantel describes her friendship with Trayvon Martin; her face lights up and she smiles when she remembers talking to him on the phone all day. It’s a rare moment that humanizes Martin amid all of our national outcry.