Smithsonian Wants Trayvon's Hoodie

It's one of the most talked about sweatshirts in America. Now, the dark gray hoodie Trayvon Martin was wearing the night he was killed may be put on display for all to see. The director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture (set to open in 2015) thinks the iconic sweatshirt would be a meaningful addition to its growing collection. "It became the symbolic way to talk the Trayvon Martin case," Lonnie Bunch told the Washington Post. "Because it’s such a symbol, it would allow you to talk about race in the age of Obama."

How likely is it to happen? The Post reports it could be years before Trayvon's family has a chance to collect the hoodie. It's currently being held on orders from the Justice Department as a civil rights investigation is under way. Once the family is permitted to pick it up, they'll be able to decide what to do with it. Should they hand it to the Smithsonian branch, it'll join items like the handcuffs that were infamously placed on Henry Louis Gates Jr. The Los Angeles Times notes other signature items from high-profile cases have ended up in museums: The Newseum has Ted Kaczinski's cabin in its collection. (More Trayvon Martin stories.)