The mother of Trayvon Martin, the black unarmed teenager who was fatally shot by then-neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in 2012, has qualified to run for office in Florida.
Sybrina Fulton announced this week that she has qualified in the race for Miami Dade County Commissioner District 1.
Fulton is apart of a small group of “Mothers of the Movement” — including Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), mother of Jordan David, and Lesly McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown — who have run for public office after their African American sons were killed by violence.
Fulton for much of the past eight years since her son’s death has advocated for gun control reforms. She formed the Trayvon Martin Foundation and the Circle of Mothers to help empower grieving mothers and other women who lose family members to gun violence.
“I did not drop to my knees for too long, because I refused to be depressed,” she told the Miami Herald last year when she unveiled plans to run. “I stood up. When my son got shot down, I stood up. And I’m still standing.”
The Miami Gardens native has spent more than two decades working within the Miami-Dade government, according to her website.
Fulton’s campaign has said public safety and gun-violence prevention will continue to be central themes in her run for office. Her other priorities will include economic opportunity, housing affordability and transportation.
She will be facing off against Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert for the seat, which is being vacated by term-limited Commissioner Barbara Jordan.
Fulton has been endorsed by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J) and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who held a virtual fundraiser for her last month.
Fulton came to national prominence shortly after the death of her son in 2012. Martin was fatally shot at the age of 17 by Zimmerman, who was was later acquitted of all charges. His death helped sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.
Fulton is running for office amid a series of massive protests against racism and police brutality following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed in Minneapolis police custody late last month.
While some have called to “defund” police departments, Fulton told The Guardian that she does not agree with that push.
“I think we need more police. We need police with better standards, and police with better ethics and better work habits,” Fulton said, adding that she wants to “bridge the gap” between law enforcement and their communities.