Rallies were held across the country Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of the killing of the unarmed African-American teenager Trayvon Martin. On February 26, 2012, the 17-year-old high school junior was shot dead in Sanford, Florida, by George Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watch volunteer who claimed he acted in self-defense. Police initially refused to arrest Zimmerman, but he was finally charged with second-degree murder after a wave of protests around the country. On Tuesday, Martin supporters gathered in California, Florida and New York to honor his memory and call attention to racial profiling and discrimination. Many donned hoodies as Martin had worn the night he was shot. Trayvon Martin’s father, Tracy Martin, addressed a crowd of hundreds in New York City’s Union Square.

Tracy Martin: “It’s a somber day for us, but also it’s a day of peace for us, because we know, as parents, that we have done all we can do to make our children’s lives right.”

Also speaking at the New York event was the Oscar-winning actor and singer Jamie Foxx.

Jamie Foxx: “All we’re asking is simplicity. The simple thing is: Allow the court system to work. Allow a person to have their day in trial. That’s the thing that baffled me the most, that someone could take someone else’s life and then go home.”

Zimmerman’s trial is set to begin in June, although his attorneys are seeking a further delay. He remains free on $1 million bail.