Trayvon Martin's mother urges students to get involved

Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mother, urged a campus audience to get involved, participate in service work and to not be silent.

Fulton was the first keynote speaker during Grand Valley’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Week. She spoke to more than 2,000 people in the Fieldhouse on January 19.

Trayvon Martin was 17 years old in 2012 when he was shot to death in Florida. Fulton has since dedicated her life to transforming family tragedy into social change. She and Trayvon’s father, Tracy Martin, established the Trayvon Martin Foundation to raise awareness of how violent crime impacts families of victims, and to advocate for those families.

Fulton said before Trayvon died, her family lived a regular life in Florida.

“My son wanted the same things your children want,” Fulton said. “He had his flaws and made mistakes, but he was no criminal.”

Fulton recognized that some audience members might feel far removed from gun violence.

“It might be easy to say that this is not my family or my community, but this is what is happening in your country, and you need to participate,” she said. “A lot of these situations are not right. So many things are occurring that stem from senseless gun violence. You cannot remain silent.”

She urged students to get involved in nonprofit organizations and learn about the issues in their communities.

Fulton will also speak to an audience tonight at Grand Rapids Community College and Tuesday, January 20, at Davenport University.

Grand Valley’s MLK Commemoration Week events continue all week. The second keynote speaker, Marc Lamont Hill, will speak on Wednesday, January 21, in the Kirkhof Center, Grand River Room, at 4:30 p.m.

Hill’s speech will be simulcast to the DeVos Center, Loosemore Auditorium, to better accommodate the Pew Grand Rapids Campus and Grand Rapids community.

Visit www.gvsu.edu/mlk for details; use #GVSUMLK on social media.