Posted on 04/14/2015 3:22:44 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN 6) — Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, spoke in Portland Monday night about the loss of her son and the message she hopes his legacy will instill in others.
The free event was sponsored by the YWCA of Greater Portland at Marantha Church on Northeast 12th Avenue.
Fulton, whose teenage son was shot and killed by George Zimmerman in an incident that sparked a nationwide debate about race, talked about transforming the tragedy into social change.
“It’s not a speech, it’s not a lecture,” Fulton said. “It’s a message.”
The mother of two shared the experience of losing a son to the large crowd Monday night. After Trayvon was shot, Fulton said she didn’t feel like she was going to make it.
“I didn’t feel like I was going to have a normal life or a regular life after my son had been murdered,” she said. “I just want my life back.”
But after grieving, Fulton said she finally reached a breaking point. She said she realized it was her time to stand up for what she believed in.
“I told myself, you can do better than this, you can do better than just cry,” Fulton said. “I decided at that moment that I had to do more, I had to be the voice for my son.”
Fulton has since created the Trayvon Martin Foundation, which aims to “create awareness of how violent crime impacts the families of the victims and to provide support and advocacy for those families in response to the murder of Trayvon Martin,” the nonprofit’s website states.
She said her son’s death was a reminder of the ugliness that still lives on in American society.
“I, too, wanted to believe that we had come much further than we did,” she said. “You cannot tell me that it was my son’s hoodie… so if I take the hoodie out of the equation, what do we have left? We have the color of his skin.”
Fulton reminded the audience that issues regarding race relations in America are nothing new. She said because it’s an ugly, uncomfortable subject, it’s often swept under the rug. But that’s something she hopes to change.
Trayvon’s mother urged Portlanders to get involved in local politics and reach out to nonprofit organizations when they feel passionately about an issue.
“There’s something you can do,” Fulton said. “When you are upset about a story, a case, a tragedy that’s going on, I will challenge you to connect with one of those organizations.”
She said registering to vote, and voting in small, local elections, can make a big impact when it comes to societal issues.
“Make sure that you’re lending your voice, make sure that you’re lending your talent,” she said. “Because if you really want to make a difference and you really want to make a change, that change will start here with you.”
Trayvon Martin was 17 when he was shot in 2012. Zimmerman claimed he shot Martin in self-defense, although Martin was unarmed at the time, and was found not guilty after a high-profile trial.
He could still be the subject of a civil lawsuit, which he’d have a decent chance of losing.
Sabrina didn’t raise Trayvon full time last the age of 2. Trayvin was raised in various ad hoc circumstances. Part of the reason he was headed down the wrong road in life. Due to lack of positive parental involvement by her when her boy was alive.
How many days did his body lay in the morgue before she showed interest? Was she on of the ones involved in the fight over the T-shirts?
Not if Rachel Jeantel testifies.
She does sound a tad racist. Does she ever think of this when she looks in the mirror. Maybe her son also, like her saw people with skin color and judged people.
That was Mike “Gentle Giant” Brown’s mother. I know it’s hard to keep track.
“She said her son’s death was a reminder of the ugliness that still lives on in American society.”
Lady, your son got shot because he was committing ugliness in the form of assault.
“so if I take the hoodie out of the equation, what do we have left? We have the color of his skin.”
No, you have the fact that your son was a violent thug. And that is entirely on you, madame.
L
Fulton said. “It’s a message.”
If you raise Gang Banger Thugs there is a good chance some honest law abiding citizen will give them what they want, a Bullet to the Head.
Gentle giant was the T-shirt. Thanks. Trevon body was in the morgue for a few days right?
Trayvon’s father was also a known gang member, his gang name was “Fruit”
I don’t see how that has anything to do with it.
You didn’t see her testimony?
I think so.
“I decided at that moment that I had to do more, I had to be the voice for my son.”
“GIMME THEM SWISHER SWEETS Foo” !!
I guess the concept of raising your son to be a man instead of a gang banger is completely out of the question?
I’m curious. If someone was following you around your neighborhood with a gun, would you curl up in the fetal position and surrender?
She discusses his clothing as a possible factor leading to his death, but she does not discuss his behavior at the time as a possible factor. Trayvon was holding down a man to the ground and beating on him.
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