Macklemore Pays Tribute To Trayvon Martin

"It's time that we look out for the youth and fight against racism and the laws that protect it," the rapper said at the American Music Awards.

At the American Music Awards in downtown Los Angeles Sunday night, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis won Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album for The Heist.

Andrew Kelly / Reuters

Since they're currently on tour, the two appeared via satellite from Miami, FL, where they were performing.

After thanking the fans for the honor, Macklemore brought up the issue of racial profiling.

ABC

Here's the full text of Macklemore's speech:

"Now that I'm sitting here in front of millions of people, I'd like to address something extremely important to me. I was talking to my friend before the show and he reminded me of a great Martin Luther King quote. He said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' And due to the fact that we are in Florida tonight accepting this award, I want to acknowledge Trayvon Martin and the hundreds and hundreds of kids each year that are dying due to racial profiling and the violence that follows it. This is really happening. These are our friends, our neighbors, our peers, and our fans, and it's time that we look out for the youth and fight against racism and the laws that protect it."