Friday, March 30, 2012

Social Justice League 2011-12 Enters Final Quarter!

While much of the Social Justice League is on their way to the annual RAPPORT Retreat, it's a good time to highlight who's on this awesome team that's doing great work on our campus.

Heading into our final quarter, the League has sixteen members on track to graduate as RAPP Certified Social Justice Peer Educators.  Many of the team members will be venturing into co-facilitating workshops this spring and several have basically already completed the certification requirements but are still going strong through spring!

Here is the League:

AJ Eaves - RAPP XXVI
Allison Furterer - RAPP XXVI
Brice Mickey - RAPP XXV, XXVI Peer Leader
Cassie Baxter - RAPP XXVI
DeVorah YisraEL - RAPP XXIV, XXV Peer Leader, SJL 2010-11, RAPPORT Intern 2011-12
Joey Scheiber - RAPP XXVI
Jojo Azevedo - RAPP XXIV, XXVI Peer Leader, SJL 2010-11, RAPP Intern 2011-12
Kevin Weber - RAPP XXVI
Marjorie Bledsoe - RAPP XXV, XXVI Peer Leader, SJL 2010-11, RAPP Public Ally 2011-12
Matt Miller - RAPP XXVI
Matthew Woodruff - RAPP XXVI, XXVII Peer Leader
Mieshia Barnes - RAPP XXIV, XXVII Peer Leader
Rachel Berman - RAPP XXV, XXVI Peer Leader, SJL 2010-11, RAPP Inter 2011-12
Robert Filbin - RAPP XXV, SJL 2010-11
Tyler Thompson - RAPP XXV, SJL 2010-11, XXVII Peer Leader
Wil Pierce - RAPP XXV, SJL 2010-11, XXVII Peer Leader

The League works throughout the year to exemplify social justice education by committing to continual self-reflection and intentional development work as a social justice educator.

Please wish them the best as they finish out the year!
Several of these RAPP stars are completing the RAPP Social Justice Peer Educator certification!

Cincy Story Mural Update

The Cincy Story Mural is a new project dedicated to celebrating the greater Cincinnati area’s people and cultures through collaborative art and storytelling. The idea came from Krista Brinkmeyer, a member of Starfire U who is interested in photography, art, and community engagement. The mural is Krista's senior project for Starfire U, and there are many community partners involved with making the project a success- Public Allies, DIY Printing, Yelp, and Cincy.com to name a few.

There are also many community members who are a part of the Cincy Story Mural; in fact, the community is the focus of this project. Over 100 community members have been involved with the project, through photograph and story sharing, volunteering, and hosting photo/story sharing events in their own homes and communities.

As the project progresses, the focus is on community engagement. There will be a total of four murals sites in various locations throughout Cincinnati. The murals will debut in June 2012, and there will be launch events at each site. Stay tuned for more information on mural launch events!

Cincinnati resident Tawanda Rollins

The Cincy Story Mural blog is coming along, with more and more interested and engaged community members each day! All are invited to share their stories and what they love about the community of Cincinnati on the Cincy Story Mural blog.

Cincinnati resident Maria Eggers


Even if you weren't born here, don't plan on staying here, or don't live here any longer, your memories, feelings, and reflections about the community of Cincinnati are encouraged and welcomed! You can submit them at info@CincyStoryMural.org.




Thursday, March 29, 2012

Deconstructing "f" Art Opening - May 17th!

Deconstructing "f"
An event from PoMoCo: A Feminist Art Imaginary
Thursday, May 17, 2012
7:00pm until 10:00pm



Just Conversations Student Mediator Positions Available - Application Deadline Apr 13th!


From UC Ombuds:

The Just Conversations Mediation program provides mediation training to a select group of students who then volunteer to serve the UC community as conflict coaches.  

The application is also available for download/printing from the Ombuds website:  www.uc.edu/ombuds.  

 The application deadline is April 13, 2012.


"Just Conversations" is a student mediation program sponsored by the Center for Dialogue and the Office of the University Ombuds.

The "Just Conversations" mediation program recruits and trains volunteer student mediators who serve individuals and campus organizations with conflict management.

"Just Conversations" student mediators will assist with a variety of student issues including roommate disputes, interpersonal issues and organizational conflicts.

The "Just Conversations" program provides hands on experiences for UC students to practice civility, embrace freedom and openness, promote justice and accept responsibility.

Our mediation services are confidential, informal and free to members of the UC community. For more information, please contact us at the Office of the University Ombuds.

The Just Conversations program is affiliated with UC's Just Community initiative.


Wednesday, March 28, 2012

UC Sustainability Events for Spring Quarter!



The Office of Sustainability has some great events planned for Spring quarter!  Below are the events for the next two weeks, but stay tuned for lectures on nuclear power, mountain top removal mining, Cincinnati’s streetcar project, and sustainable economics.  You can also plan ahead to celebrate Earth Day with us by planting trees!

------------------------------------------
Contents:
Upcoming Events:
Sunday, April 1 – Bike Ride: UC to Northside, 1pm, meet at the Bike Kitchen
Monday, April 2 – PACES Meeting, 12pm, TUC 425
Monday, April 2 – Student Sustainability Coalition, 6pm, Steger 6th Floor
Monday, April 2 – Film Series: Taking Root, 7pm, MainStreet Cinema
            Planning Ahead:
                        Monday, April 9 – Lecture Series: Nuclear Energy’s Future, 4pm, Swift 620
                        Tuessday, April 10 – Lecture Series: Creating the Future of Energy, The Thorium Reactor, 11am, Zimmer 302
                        Wednesday, April 18 – Lecture Series: Mountain Top Removal Mining, 6pm, MainStreet Cinema
                        Sunday, April 22 – Volunteer: Trees for Tomorrow tree planting event, 10am – 3pm, more information or RSVP to green@uc.edu
                        Wednesday, May 2 – Lecture Series: Cincinnati’s Streetcar Project, 2pm, MainStreet Cinema
                        Wednesday, May 16 – Lecture Series: Sustainability & Economics, the End of Growth, 4pm, Zimmer 400

------------------------------------------
Upcoming Events:
Sunday, April 1 – Bike Ride: UC to Northside, 1pm, meet at the Bike Kitchen
            Bring your own bike or rent one from the Bearcat Bike Share!  Experienced cyclists will lead this easy and fun ride from campus to Northside’s Jacob Hoffner Park and back.  The route is 2.5 miles one way and 5 miles round trip.

Monday, April 2 – PACES Meeting, 12pm, TUC 425
            The monthly PACES meetings provide the campus community with an opportunity to find out what sustainability projects are underway and what new projects are being considered.  Proposals for new projects are always welcome!  Come join in the campus sustainability conversation!

Monday, April 2 – Student Sustainability Coalition Meeting, 6pm, Steger 6th Floor
            These bi-weekly meetings bring together the various student groups working on sustainability topics.  Students can find out what the groups are working on and how they can join.  Planning for Earth Week is going on now!

Monday, April 2 – Film Series: Taking Root, 7pm, MainStreet Cinema
            This documentary shares the inspiring story of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai.  What started as a simple act, planting trees, grew into a strong political and environmental movement.  Taking Root brings to life the confidence and joy of people working to improve their own lives while also ensuring the future and vitality of their land.  The film captures Maathai’s tireless worldview in which nothing is perceived as impossible.  It has won numerous awards, including Audience Awards at the Projecting Change Film Festival, Mendocino Film Festival, and Canadian International Documentary Festival as well as Amnesty International’s Human Rights Award.

Thanks!
Claire G. Sweigart, JD
Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
University of Cincinnati
Tel: 513.556.3492
Cell: 513.477.3115

UCIT Merges Help Desks


From UCIT

Previously, UCIT offered computer and network related help for students outside our Steger Computer Lab and at ResNet.

We are excited to announce that over spring break we are consolidating these two services by moving the Steger Walk-in Help Desk downstairs to ResNet. This change will enable us to enhance the services we offer students.  

·         One location in UCIT for all walk-in technical assistance
·         Convenient, visible location on MainStreet in our Mobile Cats Wireless store font
·         Full time staff to troubleshoot software and hardware
·         Accessible hours: Spring quarter hours are Monday-Thursday 8AM-10PM; Friday 8AM-5PM; Saturday & Sunday 10AM-5PM
·         Issues will be tracked in the same ticketing system used by the UCIT Help Desk

Questions can be directed to the UCiT HelpDesk

UCIT Help Desk
513-556-HELP (4357)


Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Ohio NAME Presents "Minority Experiences in Suburban Schools" - Apr 28th!


“Minority Experiences in Suburban Schools”
A WORLD CAFE
Saturday, April 28, 2012 from 1pm – 3pm
Columbus State Community College – Downtown Campus

How comfortable and connected do minority students and educators feel in suburban schools?

Join the Ohio chapter of NAME for a group dialogue on minority experiences in majority schools.  K-20 students, educators, administrators and parents are invited to attend and participate in this facilitated discussion and potluck!


FOR MORE INFO OR TO RSVP:

Kimberly Brazwell
O| 614.287.2426
FB| Ohio Chapter – National Association for Multicultural Education



TheNational Association for Multicultural Education (N.A.M.E.) is a non-profit organization that advances and advocates for equity and social justice through multicultural education.

Its objectives are:
·         To provide opportunities for learning in order to advance multicultural education, equity and social justice.
·         To proactively reframe public debate and impact current and emerging policies in ways that advance social, political, economic and educational equity through advocacy, position papers, policy statements and other strategies.
·         To provide the preeminent digital clearinghouse of resources about educational equity and social justice.

For more info on NAME, visit www.nameorg.org

"The Last Survivor" Film Showing & Discussion - Mar 29th!

From The Center for Holocaust & Humanity Education:

The Last Survivor Film Showing & Discussion 
Thursday, March 29th
7:00pm until 10:00pm 


The Last Survivor is a documentary that explores the idea of genocide in the 21st century. Following the lives of survivors of four different genocides and mass atrocities - The Holocaust, Rwanda, Darfur, and Congo - the film presents the stories of survivors, and their struggle to make sense of the tragedies they experienced, by working to educate a future generation.

For more information on the film, please visit www.thelastsurvivor.com 




Monday, March 26, 2012

UC Events Recognize Trayvon Martin's Murder - Mar 29th!

Two events on campus this Thursday will raise awareness of the murder of Trayvon Martin.

At 11:45AM on Thursday, March 29th, there will be a Hoodie Flash MOB on the steps of Steger - students wearing hoodies will be there showing silent support of the Trayvon Martin case.

At 7PM in the AACRC is the event "T AM TRAYVON MARTIN (Racial Awareness Program)."  Attendees are asked to wear a hoodie and bring an unopened bag of Skittles.

Both events are being organized by the United Black Student Association and GQ: Gentlemen's Quarterly.


RAPP XXVIII Applications Now Available!

An exciting "tradition" in RAPP over the past few years has been that of making applications for the coming year's group available on the first day of Spring Quarter.

Since today is that day, I'm excited to announce that we're now accepting applications for RAPP XXVIII, the 2012-13 class of RAPP academic year long program!

Interested in getting involved in RAPP?  Check out our join RAPP page!

Know someone you'd like to encourage to apply?  Send them to our join RAPP page!

Here's all the info that's important for people to know:


Join RAPP XXVIII!

Download the RAPP XXVIII interest form HERE to begin your application for the 2012-13 group!


Program Overview
The Office of Student Activities & Leadership Development offers the nine-month RAPP intensive for students to challenge, debate, and educate each other on issues of social justice.  We explore race, culture, gender, socioeconomic class, sexuality, and other areas of difference through sharing our experiences and building a community of Bearcats committed to creating a more just community and world.
Through full participation in the RAPP process over an academic year, participants:

  • Develop relationships with 35+ other Bearcats
  • Enhance their ability to communicate across difference for learning and understanding
  • Deepen their understanding of oppression
  • Develop knowledge and skills to more effectively fight oppression and create inclusive communities

RAPP’s curriculum is based in best practices in the realms of social justice education, intergroup dialogue, and inclusive leadership development.  Participants in RAPP join a community 27 years in the making and hundreds strong who have completed this challenging and rewarding program!
How to ApplyThere are three steps to apply for this life-changing program:

  1. Read the Information for Potential Applicants.  This piece is designed to cover the most common questions people have about RAPP to help you decide if RAPP is what you're looking for.
  2. Complete a written application.  This application gathers basic information from candidates.  Information on how to access the application is available in the Information for Potential Applicants, which you are expected to read before completing a written application.
  3. Schedule and complete an in-person interview.  These interviews take approximately 45 minutes and are conducted by RAPP staff and volunteers.  Interviews will begin to be offered in mid-spring quarter.
Please contact RAPP staff at 513.556.6119 or Rebecca.Lehman@uc.edu with any questions you have!

CAIR Cincinnati 10th Annual Banquet - Apr 14th!

From Council on American-Islamic Relations - Cincinnati Chapter:

Working for a Stronger Democracy:  Challenging the Politics of Fear
April 14th, 2012

The Council on American-Islamic Relations Cincinnati Chapter
10th Annual Banquet


EVENT SPEAKER
JUAN COLE
Professor of History at the University of Michigan


EVENT SPEAKER
ALTAF HUSAIN
MSW, Ph.D. & Member, Majlis Ashura of ISNA


DATE Saturday, April 14, 2012
TIME 4:30 Registration
5:30 Dinner
PLACE Cincinnati Marrio North
6189 Mulhauser Road
West Chester, OH 45069


TICKETS $40 per person
$50 at door
RSVP PHONE: 513.281.8200
EMAIL: info@cincinnati.cair.com
CHILDREN Children’s Enrichment Program
$15 per child • (6 months - 12 years)






Sunday, March 25, 2012

UC Research Brings to Light Norman Rockwell's Artistic Legacy on Civil Rights


From: UC News


A master's thesis by UC student (now alumna) Kirstie Kleopfer Craven was the first to explore Norman Rockwell's depictions of African Americans throughout his career. That thesis research is the subject of recent interest thanks to exhibitions and scholarship on Rockwell's artistic legacy related to the civil rights struggle.

Date: 3/24/2012 12:00:00 AM
By: M.B. Reilly
Phone: (513) 556-1824
Photos By: Provided by Norman Rockwell Museum Collections, and Kirstie Craven

UC ingot   Kirstie Kleopfer Craven's master's thesis is something of a sleeper hit.

When a University of Cincinnati art history master's student, Craven dedicated her thesis to a comprehensive examination of how illustrator and artist Norman Rockwell had depicted African Americans in his work throughout his lifetime, culminating in his well-known paintings depicting the struggle for civil rights in the 1960s. Those later works in his life included such iconic paintings as "The Problem We All Live With," inspired by the desegregation of New Orleans public schools when first-grader Ruby Bridges was escorted by United States Marshals into a local elementary school.
The Problem We All Live With
"The Problem We All Live With" by Norman Rockwell in 1963 served as a story illustration for "Look" magazine in January 1964.



"Before my thesis, no one had looked at the evolution of Rockwell's depictions of African Americans throughout his career. I was curious how he got to the point where he was recording, through painting and his own unique style, the civil rights movement," said Craven, whose 2007 thesis is titled "Norman Rockwell's Civil Rights Paintings of the 1960s."

Craven explained that Rockwell began working for Look magazine in 1964 because he wanted to explore new subject matter, including civil rights, and was frustrated with the limitations on subject matter imposed by the Saturday Evening Post’s editors. Look editor Dan Mich would provide Rockwell with the freedom to finally produce the “big pictures” that he had been forbidden to produce for the Post. 

In the thesis, Craven provides a deep analysis of the paintings Rockwell produced about the Civil Rights Movement and the historical events which inspired them, revealing Rockwell’s passionate critique of the American society he had so frequently idealized. Not only that, she explores Rockwell’s depictions of African Americans throughout his career and the evolution of his growing interest in promoting racial tolerance and equality.

Because of her thesis, Craven, a current resident of Erlanger, Ky., who serves as curatorial administrative assistant at the Cincinnati Art Museum, was recently invited to lecture at the Dayton Art Institute in conjunction with the exhibition "American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell," which made use of works lent by the Norman Rockwell Museum.  She also led two special tours of the exhibition and was able to meet Ruby Bridges at a related event. In addition, she has seen her thesis cited in articles and suggested as recommended reading in Ron Schick's 2009 exhibition catalogue, "Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera," which examines Rockwell's careful use of photography to create the intricately detailed scenes and expressive characters in his paintings.

Not to mention that Craven's UC thesis, which is available via OhioLINK, has been downloaded almost 2,000 times.
UC's alumna Kirstie Craven in front of an image of Norman Rockwell
UC alumna Kirstie Craven in front of an image of Norman Rockwell.



The best part of this attention, according to Craven, "is a sense of accomplishment. The thesis isn't sitting on a shelf unread. People are reading it, citing it. There's something of a Rockwell renaissance going on, and I have a part in that since the researchers who are part of that are familiar with the work I did."

* Image: "The Problem We All Live With," Norman Rockwell, 1963
Oil on canvas, 36” x 58” 
Illustration for "Look," January 14, 1964 
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, NRM.1975.1 
Licensed by Norman Rockwell Licensing, Niles, IL. 


National Association for Multicultural Education Annual Summer Institute - Registration Open Now!



NAME is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the summer 2012 institute, Addressing the Demographic Imperative: Recruiting and Preparing a Diverse and Highly Effective Teaching Force.

The institute will begin at noon Thursday, June 28, and conclude at 2pm Saturday, June 30. It is designed primarily for teams of up to 5 people, representing a college of education, school district, and community, who wish to develop a plan for diversifying the teaching force in their own region. Although individuals may register, you will note that registration rate is lowest if you come as a member of a team. Your registration fee will cover your attendance at workshops, most meals, and conference materials. Do not make travel arrangements until we have contacted you, letting you know that enough people have registered to make this institute a “go.”

The attached flier provides some information about the workshops that will be offered. We are very excited by the excellent expertise and records of experience that the workshop presenters will be making available to you!

Register early, since attendance is limited to 125 people. The registration link can be found at: http://nameorg.org/name-2012-summer-institute/



"From Pyramids to Spacecraft" at DAAP - Apr 20th-Jun15th!



The traveling exhibition “From Pyramids to Spacecraft” will be shown at the Robert A. Deshon and Karl J. Schlachter Library for Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) of the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. 

The exhibit features selected projects by the design studio Architecture and Vision, founded by Italian architect Arturo Vittori and Swiss architect Andreas Vogler, with offices in Munich, Germany and Bomarzo, Italy.

Vittori and Vogler have worked together since 2003 and have received numerous important international recognitions. In 2006, their prototype for an extreme-environment tent, ‘DesertSeal’ (2004), became part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Vittori and Vogler were named Modern-day Leonardos in the same year by the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago for the exhibit “Leonardo da Vinci: Man, Inventor, Genius.” They have both worked in the aerospace field and this challenges the way they think about life on Earth. They share a keen interest in technology and the endless beauty of the world.

Arturo Vittori and Andreas Vogler will open the exhibition on Friday, April 20, at 5 pm.
Date: April 20 – June 15, 2012
Opening time: Friday, April 20, 2012, 5 pm
Location: DAAP Library, Room 5401, 5480 Aronoff Center for Design and Art, University of Cincinnati, 342 Clifton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA

UC contacts: Brian Davies and Rebecca Williamson (SAID)
Links:
http://www.architectureandvision.com/av/news/
University of Cincinnati Libraries

Saturday, March 24, 2012

2012 Excellence in Culturally Responsive Teaching Awards - Applications due Apr 30th!


Submitted by Teaching Tolerance Staff on March 9, 2012

Teaching Tolerance is now accepting applications for the 2012 Excellence in Culturally Responsive Teaching award. This award recognizes educators who are adept at fostering productive, caring relationships with students and their families, building on students’ prior knowledge and providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all students. Successful candidates will have a record of success meeting the needs of students from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

In January 2013, Teaching Tolerance will honor five outstanding teachers at an event in Washington, D.C. Last year’s award event included two panel discussions featuring prominent education experts such as Sonia Nieto, Jacqueline Jordan Irvine and A. Wade  Boykin as well as teacher awardees and other accomplished practitioners. Each awardee will receive $1,000. Prior to the event, the five teachers will be videotaped in their classrooms as models of effective practice. This footage will be used in online professional development modules and in schools of education to enhance teacher training by modeling effective practice.  Click here to view videos from the 2011 awardees.

Teachers must agree to be videotaped and secure the permission of their schools and students.

All pre-K to 12 teachers within the United States are invited to apply. Applications must be received by April 30, 2012. An expert panel of teachers and scholars will select the five awardees.

Learn more about how to be a culturally responsive educator.

Applications are accepted online and can be found here.

If you have questions regarding the Teaching Tolerance Award, please send them to award@teachingtolerance.org.

UC Clermont College Annual Open House - Apr 26th!


From UC News:

UC Clermont College Hosts Annual Open House on April 26

Check out campus, programs and waive your $50 application fee.

Date: 3/6/2012 4:00:00 PM
By: Mae Hanna
Phone: (513) 732-5332

UC ingot  
UC Clermont College will hold its annual Open House on April 26, from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. for new students and their families.

Prospective students can preview programs, meet faculty, tour campus and discuss financial aid with staff that will be available to answer questions. The $50 application fee will be waived for anyone who applies that evening. One lucky applicant will win a free three-credit hour class - $630 value.
Photo from previous Open House at UC Clermont College.
From previous Open House at UC Clermont College.

  
 
The event will be held in the Snyder and Edith Peters-Jones buildings at the UC Clermont Campus located at 4200 Clermont College Dr. in Batavia. No RSVP is required to attend the Open House. 
 
“This is a great way for new students to get a lot of information in one visit and explore many opportunities by talking to various faculty and taking a look around our beautiful campus,” said Director of Enrollment Martha Geiger.  
 
For more information about UC Clermont College or directions to campus, visit our website at www.ucclermont.edu or call 513.732.5319 or 866.446.2822. 
 
About us: UC Clermont College is located in the center of Clermont County on 91 beautiful wooded acres in Batavia Township. Opened in 1972, Clermont College is an accredited, open-access college offering more than 50 associate degrees and certificate programs. The college began offering a technical bachelor’s degree in the fall of 2011 – the Bachelor's Degree in Applied Administration. The Applied Administration program is designed for people who already hold a technical associate degree, such as an Associate of Applied Science or an Associate of Applied Business (from a regionally accredited institution).
UC East, a Clermont County expansion in the former Ford plant in Batavia Township, opened in the fall of 2010. It is home to UC Clermont College's Allied Health programs including: Surgical Assisting, Respiratory Therapy, Physical Therapist Assistant, EMS-Paramedic Certificate, Medical Assisting, and Multi-Skilled Health Technician. On the second floor of UC East, UC’s College of Nursing offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. The College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services offers Bachelor Degree completion programs in early childhood education, criminal justice and paralegal studies.

The college is part of the nationally recognized University of Cincinnati. Students who attend UC Clermont College have full access to UC's Uptown campus libraries, student support services, student clubs, fraternities, sororities, intramural sports and athletic events.

At UC Clermont College we bring the power of UC... close to home! 

Friday, March 23, 2012

Alumni Association Recognizes Distinguished Leaders


From UC Alumni Association:

UC Distinguished Alumni Celebration


Each year, the UC Alumni Association recognizes select alumni for their career achievements and unique contributions to UC and the greater community.
The 2012 Distinguished Alumni Celebration selection committee is proud to announce the five recipients of this year's alumni awards. Our honorees will be recognized among university leaders, colleagues and friends at the annual awards celebration on Thursday, June 14 at the Kingsgate Marriott on UC’s  main campus.
Hope you’ll join us in recognizing this year’s award recipients.
Register to attend! (Coming Soon)

2012 Alumni Honorees

William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement
Alumni Distinguished Service Award
Jeffrey Hurwitz Young Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award
UC Alumni Association Mosaic Award

ABC's Trayvon Martin Timeline

By ABC News

Mar 22, 2012 12:00pm

Trayvon Martin Case: Timeline of Events

abc ht trayvon martin george zimmerman 2 jt 120318 wblog Trayvon Martin Case: Timeline of Events

(Image Credit: ABC News; Orange County Jail)

The slaying of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, a Florida high school student who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watch captain, has captured national attention.

Petitions calling for justice for Martin have exploded, amid allegations of racism and calls for more scrutiny into how local police handled the investigation. George Zimmerman has yet to be charged in the case.

Below is a timeline of events:

Feb. 26: Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Florida high school student, is found shot and killed, in Sanford, Fla., a community north of Orlando.

Several eyewitnesses report to police that they heard a scuffle, then a cry for help, and then a gunshot.

According to the Sanford police report, George Zimmerman, 28, a self-appointed neighborhood watch captain, is found armed with a handgun, standing over Martin. He has a bloody nose and a wound in the back of his head.

Martin is unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene. He has no weapons on him, only a pack of Skittles and a bottle of iced tea.

Zimmerman tells police he killed Martin in self defense. Taking him at his word, police do not arrest him, nor administer a drug or alcohol test. They also did not run a background check.

March 9: Trayvon Martin’s family demands that police release the 911 tapes or make an arrest nearly one month after Martin was killed. Police declined to comment at the time, but told ABC News the tapes would be released the following week.

March 12: ABC News uncovers questionable police conduct in the investigation of the fatal shooting of Martin, including the alleged “correction” of at least one eyewitness’ account.

Sanford Police Chief Billy Lee said there is no evidence to dispute Zimmerman’s assertion that he shot Martin out of self-defense.

March 16: Police recordings made the night Zimmerman allegedly shot and killed Martin sent the boy’s mother screaming from the room and prompted his father to declare, “He killed my son,” a family representative tells ABC News.

ABC News affiliate WFTV publishes excerpts from the 911 calls.

One of several petitions for Zimmerman’s arrest has garnered more than 250,000 signatures on a change.org site, and at one point signatures were pouring in at the rate of 10,000 an hour, according to the website.

March 18: Martin’s family asks Attorney General Eric Holder and the FBI to get involved in the investigation of their son’s death.

March 19: A 16-year-old girl tells Benjamin Crump, the Martin family’s attorney, about the last moments of Martin’s life, ABC News is there exclusively. Martin was on the phone with her when George Zimmerman began following him. She recounted that she told Martin to run, then she heard some pushing, then the line went dead.

The U.S. Justice Department announces it has launched an investigation into Martin’s slaying.

ABC News also learns that Zimmerman violated major principles of the Neighborhood Watch manual, which states, “it should be emphasized to members that they do not possess police powers, and they shall not carry weapons or pursue vehicles.”

The state attorney in Seminole County, Fla., announces that a grand jury will review the evidence of the case on April 10.

March 20: Sanford police department admits to ABC News that investigators missed a possible racist remark by the shooter as he spoke to police dispatchers moments before the killing.

March 21: During a heated meeting over Trayvon Martin’s death, Sanford city commissioners conducted a vote of “no confidence” against embattled Police Chief Billy Lee. Three of five commissioners voted against the chief.

The city manager now decided whether or not to let Lee go.

Martin’s parents join hundreds of protesters in New York City for the “Million Hoodie March,” demanding justice for the slain 17-year-old.

A single online petition calling for Travyvon’s killer’s arrest has nearly 900,000 signatures and is now the fastest growing petition in internet history, according to Change.org. Tweets from celebrities, such as Justin Bieber and Spike Lee, helped fuel wide interest in the case.

The public relations person for Benjamin Crump, the attorney representing the Martin family, tells ABC News they received 418 media calls in one day.

March 22: City Manager Norton Bonaparte tells ABC News he’ll defer a decision on the chief’s fate until a thorough investigation is completed. Bonaparte acknowledges that the race issue continues to dominate local discourse.

Martin’s family meets officials from the Department of Justice.

Thousands are expected to attend a rally in Sanford, organized by the Reverend Al Sharpton, to demand Zimmerman’s arrest.


Tea-time questions with Scott:

If Trayvon had been white, do you feel there would have been the same amount of outrage?

Do you feel the shooter being non-white makes a difference?

Do you feel social media has played a large part in shaping the public's reaction? How so?

What do you think can be done by law enforcement, the community, and others to prevent future incidents like this one?