Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, offers words of wisdom and strength in webinar for Black History Month

On Friday, Feb. 24, the Geneseo Office of Multicultural Affairs hosted a Webinar with Sybrina Fulton in honor of Black History Month. Fulton is the mother of Travyon Martin, who was murdered in 2012, and the co-author of the 2018 docu-series Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story. During the Webinar, Fulton offered poignant insights on how she has been able to empower others and encourage action in the wake of an unimaginable and horrific tragedy. 

In order to emphasize the importance of conversation in fighting the pervasive issues of racial injustice, the Webinar was conducted as a conversation between Fulton and freshman sociomedical sciences major Awa Traore. After the Office of Multicultural Affairs introduced both Traore and Fulton, the two engaged in a powerful discussion of how Fulton’s life has changed since her son’s death—how she continues to use activism to honor her son and other victims whose lives were wrongfully taken. She then continued to explain how one can take action in their own life to ignite lasting social change. 

Martin was just 17 years old when he was fatally shot—unarmed and in broad daylight—on Feb. 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida. His murderer, a “neighborhood watch captain,” shot Martin after reporting him as appearing “suspicious” to the police and pursuing Martin despite the police’s direct instructions not to follow him. Despite multiple efforts to hold him accountable following the murder and obtain justice on Martin’s behalf, the murderer was ultimately found not guilty and acquitted of his charges.

For Fulton, the death of her son was an incredible loss, especially given that he was completely innocent. When asked by Traore during the Webinar about her initial reaction to her son’s death, Fulton recalled feeling utter shock: “I didn’t believe, and I didn’t want to believe, that it was my son.”

With this being said, Fulton felt it was her responsibility to become an activist and honor her son by fighting against violence and racial injustice. 

“He had no voice… when something happens to your child, and they’re not here to explain what happened, you explain for them… I was forced into this position,” said Fulton. “When my son was shot down, that’s when I stood up.”

Immediately after Martin’s death, Fulton began her quest of amplifying her son’s story, empowering others to demand justice, and sharing her experiences in order to help others. She, along with Martin’s father, founded the Trayvon Martin Foundation 2012. The non-profit organization’s mission, according to the website, is “to provide emotional and financial support to families who have lost a child to gun violence.”

During the Webinar, Fulton explained that the organization works to keep not only the name of Trayvon Martin alive, but also the names of other victims whose families they work to represent. They hold different events each year and aim to hone in on specific topics while also keeping families of the victims at the core. In addition, they hold events each year on Martin’s birthday: “to celebrate his birth, not his death.” 

Beyond Fulton’s own work, she encourages all people to consider what is at stake when we do not hold perpetrators accountable and when we do not take action to reduce gun violence. 

“I know, and I’m smart enough to know, that this is bigger than Trayvon Martin, because [ultimately] bullets have no eyes and they don’t care who they kill,” Fulton said. “We take the loss of life so nonchalantly… we need to hold these people accountable for wrongdoing.”

There are many ways for people to work towards this accountability, and a more equitable society as a whole, in their daily lives. As she spoke during the Webinar, Fulton recommended that people continue having these important conversations, connecting and working with their local nonprofits, and paying attention to issues at the local, national, and global levels.

Fulton left the Webinar with an inspiring message to all, as a reminder of the strength of the Black community and a tribute to her son’s legacy: “We are a people of pride, we are a people of resilience… Whatever adversity we face, we will make it, because we believe in ourselves.”

If anyone is interested in learning more about Fulton’s work, her son, or the Trayvon Martin Foundation, they can find information at https://trayvonmartinfoundation.org/.