Welcome back to This Week in Black Twitter, your weekly digest of the happenings on Black Twitter and cultural conversations on the web. Topics will span the gamut — with pop culture, politics, sports, lifestyles and everything in between. This week: George Zimmerman auctions the gun he used in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, users re-create young adult books with #YAwithSoul, and #BlackDerbyHorseNames trends in honor of the Kentucky Derby.
1. George Zimmerman announced Wednesday that he was auctioning the gun he used in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The bidding topped $65 million as of Friday morning, though it may have been hijacked by fake accounts.
After initially struggling to find a site to host the auction, the 9mm pistol was posted on United Gun Group and received more than 1,000 bids.
"I am honored and humbled to announce the sale of an American Firearm Icon," according to the description attributed to Zimmerman. "The firearm for sale is the firearm that was used to defend my life and end the brutal attack from Trayvon Martin on 2/26/2012."
An attorney for Martin's family told The Washington Post: "The family does not want to dignify this with a response. Everyone agrees this is insulting and disrespectful."
In 2013, Zimmerman was acquitted of murder charges in the killing the unarmed teen, claiming self-defense under Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law. Since then, he has remained in the spotlight, spurring controversy and hostility, especially after retweeting a photo of Trayvon's corpse.
And the gun auction seemed to be no different.
After seeing Zimmerman's name trending, some were disappointed he wasn't dead.
Be careful what you wish for.
2. On Tuesday, young adult author Justina Ireland started a thread on Twitter imagining what "Twilight," "Divergent" and "The Hunger Games" would be like if they featured black characters.
It's no secret there's a lack of color in young adult fiction. In those three popular series, the main characters are all white.
The diversity issue was highlighted earlier this year when 11-year-old Marley Dias said she was "sick of reading about white boys and dogs." The Philadelphia native decided to create a book drive, collecting books about black female protagonists.
Weekend Watch
Using #YAwithSoul, users put their own spin on young adult books with humor and creativity.
Thou shalt not skip wash day.
3. Who doesn't love a good horse pun? Black Twitter sure does.
The Kentucky Derby was held Saturday, and to remind us why the internet is a marvelous place, the Twittersphere poked fun at weird/outrageous horse names with #BlackDerbyHorseNames.
Some of these aren't half bad. I see a career in naming thoroughbreds in some of your futures.