On Monday (Feb. 5), Sybrina Fulton penned a heartfelt tribute to her late son Trayvon Martin on what would have been his 29th birthday. Martin was racially profiled and killed by George Zimmerman in 2012. Since his death, Fulton has worked tirelessly for gun reform.
Alongside Travyon’s father, she oversees the Trayvon Martin Foundation—a nonprofit organization that aims to provide “emotional and financial support to families who have lost a child to gun violence.”
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“Happy heavenly birthday to my sun/sonshine. Just know I do this all for you,” Fulton wrote on Instagram. “You will forever be a part of my heart, and even the death of you has not separated my LOVE for you.” The post has amassed over 16,000 likes.
Over the weekend, the family participated in the Trayvon Martin Foundation’s 12th Annual “Peace Walk and Peace Talk,” a Miami Garden event meant to unite different groups of folks and promote dialogue centered around equality.
“It shows the community that we didn’t forget about them, because in our time of need, the community didn’t forget about us,” Tracy Martin stated about the event. “It means a lot to us, and it means a lot for the community to come out and still support us 12 years later.”
Even though it’s been 12 years since Martin’s senseless death, Stand Your Ground laws continue to proliferate in Florida.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Fulton spoke to students at Ferris State University to talk about her son. “Trayvon had a very good life,” she said. “He went on vacations every year to a different place. He had a loving family around him. He played sports he was in school, I mean, all those things that an average teenager does.”
Fulton also encouraged students to push through adversity. “I also make sure that the kids know that, even though it might look dark and gloomy around them that they got to keep moving forward. So that’s my message.”
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