Trayvon Martin’s Mother Speaks Out On 10th Anniversary Of His Death: “The Hurt is Still Fresh”

Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, spoke with CBS Morning on the 10th anniversary of her son’s death.

“When this first happened, the tragedy of my son, I can absolutely say that I never thought I would be happy again,” Fulton told “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King. “I never thought I would smile again. And I asked God for strength because that’s what I heard other people saying about me; how strong I was. It didn’t happen overnight. But he made me strong. It happened.” 

Trayvon Martin, was 17 years old when he was shot and killed by George Zimmerman when he was walking back to his father’s house from a convenience store. 

Fulton soon learned the power of sisterhood, which lead her to create the “Circle of Mothers,” a group for women who have lost children or family members to senseless violence. 

“I remember I came so broken, but I left so empowered,” Calandrian Simpson-Kemp, the mother of George Kemp, Jr., mentioned when speaking of the group’s impact. 

“It’s been a sisterhood that we have formed together to encourage each other, to support each other, to cry with each other,” Wanda Johnson, the mother of Oscar Grant added.

The women came together to help each other keep up the fight, said Gwen Carr, who is the mother of Eric Garner. 

“They’re still shooting us. They’re still killing us. But we are still visible. We are still telling them that we’re not quitting. This is our life now,” Carr continued. 

There was an annual peace walk and peace talk that was held in Martin’s hometown of Miami, Florida, on what would have been his 27th birthday. 

Although it has been 10 years since Martin was killed, Fulton said the pain of losing her son is “still fresh.” 

“The hurt is still fresh. The disappointment and sadness is still fresh. So, it seems like it happened recently. And I have to remind myself that it’s been ten years,” she said. “I’m grateful that I did have him for 17 years. But the pain and hurt and bitterness of him not still being here is something that I carry with me every day.”