May 19, 2019

Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin's mother, says she's running for office

Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, speaks at an event.

Sybrina Fulton. Photo: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images

Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager fatally shot by then-neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, is running for office in Florida, the Miami Herald first reported Saturday.

Details: Fulton, who became an anti-gun violence activist after her 17-year-old son's death in 2012, said she would launch a bid for the Miami-Dade County Commission. 

Why it matters: Martin's death at the hand of Zimmerman, who was acquitted of all charges in Martin's shooting, became one of the most heated controversies in American society. It triggered a wave of protests and served as the launching pad for the Black Lives Matter movement.

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