Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin
Approaching the 5-year anniversary of their son’s murder, the parents of Trayvon Martin are speaking out in a new tell-all memoir chronicling their experience of losing a child while still honoring the memory of their son’s life.
Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, who described Trayvon as “very affectionate” and a “best friend,” established a social justice foundation following his death and recently hinted at the idea of running for public office in the future, according to ABC News.
“Somebody asked a question about us running for office, and I said it was something that we were exploring, you know, in [the] long term,” Fulton told Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts this week. “It’s not something that we’re filling out papers for, but we certainly want to look at the positions that are available locally and we want to look at the positions for the state of Florida and then U.S. positions.
“We want to take a look at those positions to see what areas we would best fill and we would benefit from and they would benefit by having us there.”
Travyon, 17, was shot and killed by volunteer neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman on Feb. 26, 2012, while strolling through a gated community in Sanford, Fla. His death sparked nights of intense protests and raised questions about racial profiling, gun laws and the legitimacy of the Stand Your Ground statute.
Zimmerman claimed he feared for his life during his brief scuffle with the teen, but Trayvon was unarmed, carrying just a bag of Skittles candies and a can of Arizona sweet tea. The wannabe neighborhood cop was tried for the teen’s murder but ultimately acquitted in 2013. The Dept. of Justice also investigated the case but declined to bring any charges against Zimmerman, saying they hadn’t enough proof to determine that he intentionally violated Trayvon’s civil rights.
In their new book, “Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin,” Fulton and Martin discuss the life-changing death of their son, which gave rise to demonstrations, the Black Lives Matter movement and much-needed public discourse about race relations in America. Trayvon’s parents acknowledge that not enough progress has been made since their son’s murder but expressed fear that newly elected President Donald Trump could easily undo all the progress that has been made.
“Since Trayvon’s death, we saw how divided the country is on these issues and we saw how the country can come together,” Martin told USA Today’s Capital Download. “You have those that are for uniting the country and you have those that want to be apart. And what this new presidency does, it takes those that want to be apart and it puts them right in the position where they can say, ‘We’ll change the laws and we’ll make it tougher.'”
Fulton said since she got that call saying her son and been shot and killed, she has felt obligated to be a part of the change, adding that the only way to make change is by starting with the local government and working your way up from there.
“It could go all the way to the White House,” she declared.
Fulton and Martin’s book hit shelves on Tuesday, Jan. 31, and is now available for purchase.
