Nearly five years after the death of their son, Trayvon Martin’s parents are considering making a change from within the government.
In an interview with USA Today, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin say they fear that Trump’s presidency may reverse what little progress and awareness has been made following their son’s death. So to “be part of the change,” they’re considering running for office.
“Since Trayvon’s death, we saw how divided the country is on these issues and we saw how the country can come together,” Tracy Martin, Trayvon’s father, told USA Today. “You have those that are for uniting the country and you have those that want to be apart. And what this new presidency does, it takes those that want to be apart and it puts them right in the position where they can say, ‘We’ll change the laws, and we’ll make it tougher.'”
Martin says that he is concerned the new administration will make it easier for law enforcement officials and citizens to justify violence against minorities. Having never considered politics in the past, Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon’s mother, says things have changed.
“Before I was just comfortable with my average life, but now I feel like I’m just obligated to be part of the change,” Fulton said. “The only way we can be part of the change is if we start with local government and we work our way up.”
“It could go all the way to the White House,” she declared, though it would begin with a bid for, say, city or county commission.
“There’s no limitations,” Martin agreed. “I think once you embark on a journey, you don’t minimize your goal; you want to maximize your goals. So you start on the local level and then you work your way up and hopefully it will take us to a place where we can help more than just local, more than just state. National. That would be the focus.”
You can read their entire interview HERE.
