Trayvon Martin’s mom says campaigning for Hillary Clinton inspired her to run for office

Sybrina Fulton, the mother of slain teenager Trayvon Martin, told Hill.TV that she was first inspired to run for public office while campaigning for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election.

“Campaigning for Secretary Clinton made a big difference,” Fulton, who announced her bid last month for Miami-Dade County Commission, said on Thursday during an interview on “Rising.”

“It kind of planted the seed for me but I still wasn’t ready until I prayed on it,” she continued. “It look almost a year in order for me to decide to run.”

Fulton first came into national prominence shortly after the death of her son. Martin was fatally shot at the age of 17 by then-neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in Florida in 2012. His death helped sparked the Black Lives Matter Movement, and prompted a national conversation about race and policing in the U.S. 

Since then, Fulton has become an anti-gun activist. During the 2016 election, Fulton was among a group of activists that took the stage during the 2016 Democratic National Convention to talk about gun violence and endorse presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

She said she now hopes to use her voice to help those in her community.

“I just want to lend my ear and I want to speak for the concerns of the residents of Miami-Dade county,” Fulton told Hill.TV.

Fulton added that she “absolutely” plans to make preventing gun violence a centerpiece of her campaign, but emphasized that she will also address other issues affecting the county.  

“Another thing that I’m interested in is health care — I want to make it more affordable,” she said. “I’m looking into home ownership, I’m looking into rentals because people can’t simply afford to live in the areas that they work.” 

Fulton will be running against Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert for the seat, which will be vacated by Commissioner Barbara Jordan in 2020.

—Tess Bonn