Where are Trayvon Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, now, in 2019? Amid the news that George Zimmerman is suing Travyon’s parents and others for $100 million, many are wondering what Sybrina and Tracy are up to these days.
Sybrina is now running for political office. Specifically, she’s running for Miami-Dade County Commissioner for 2020. Trayvon’s parents also run the Trayvon Martin Foundation, along with Jaharis Fulton. All three individuals visit colleges, legal conferences, and more, engaging in other speaking events to raise awareness about gun violence.
Neither Sybrina nor Tracy have directly responded to Zimmerman’s lawsuit against them. However, a family attorney has called the lawsuit a “shameless attempt to profit off the lives and grief of others,” per The Washington Post.
Sybrina and Tracy have been divorced since 1999. Here’s what you need to know:
Sybrina Announced Her Political Run in May, 2019
After her son was fatally shot in 2012, Sybrina became a political activist, traveling across the country to speak out about gun violence. But she formalized her political aspirations in May 2019, when she formally announced her intent to run for Miami-Dade County Commissioner.
In her Instagram post which announced her run, Sybrina said in part, “At first I didn’t want to be the voice for Trayvon after he died, but I decided I have no choice. Now I am called to act and called to serve.”
You can watch her full announcement video above.
On Dec. 4, presidential candidate and Sen. Elizabeth Warren endorsed Sybrina’s political run, writing in a tweet, “Sybrina Fulton lost her son and endured unimaginable pain. Yet she’s turning that loss and pain into a drive to serve her community and do good by running for Miami-Dade County Commissioner. I stand with @SybrinaFulton.”
Fellow presidential candidate Cory Booker has also endorsed Sybrina’s campaign, as has Hillary Clinton.
Tracy & Sybrina Produced a Six-Part Documentary Series About Their Son, Called Rest in Power
Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story, is a six-part documentary series about Martin that is premiered on Paramount Network in July 2018. The documentary series was produced by Sybrina and Tracy, among others, and was nominated for an Emmy Award.
Both Tracy and Sybrina attended several press junkets leading up to the release of the documentary. After a screening at the 2018 ESSENCE Festival, they spoke at length about what the experience of filming was like for them.
Sybrina said, “This film was hard to make; it was hard to talk about. But, more importantly, I thought about the good that it will do for the community and for the world.”
Tracy added, “For me, the hardest part was a combination of things. Reliving the story, telling the story. But the most difficult part was hearing the screams on that tape [again], because I know for a fact that that was my son.”
After the 2019 Emmys, Sybrina wrote to Instagram, “Rest In Power was nominated for an Emmy, we sat, we listened, we even made it on the stage but we didn’t receive that Emmy, it was an honor just to be nominated & in the room. Maybe next time others will see how important racial equality really is. But we really had an amazing nite!!”