Macklemore and Ryan Lewis tuned in via satellite to the American Music Awards on Sunday to perform and accept their awards for favorite rap/hip hop artist and favorite rap/hip hop album, and because they did it from Miami, Macklemore took the opportunity to speak out against racial profiling and acknowledge slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin, whose killer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted earlier this year but has since been arrested several times for violent incidents.

“I was talking to my friend … before the show and he reminded me of a great Martin Luther King quote — ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ 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,” said Macklemore. “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.”

The duo shot to stardom earlier this year with their hit “Thrift Shop” and often include messages of tolerance in their songs, including acceptance of alternative lifestyles. As for George Zimmerman, he posted $9,000 bail last Tuesday and now awaits a January court date when he’ll be sentenced for a domestic incident in which he allegedly threatened his pregnant girlfriend with a shotgun. She claims he also choked her about a week before that incident, which prompted the judge to order a higher bail amount than what was requested by the defense.

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