Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, says she is "officially qualified" in her run for office

Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, announced this week that she is "officially qualified" to run for office in Florida. Fulton broke the news on social media, with a photo of her standing in front of signs reading, "I'm with Sybrina Fulton 2020." 

Fulton first publicly announced she was running for Miami-Dade County Commissioner, District One, in May of last year. However, Fulton was not considered an official candidate in the race in the eyes of the county and state of Florida until this week.

To be eligible as a candidate in the county commissioner race, a person must be a registered voter in the county and a resident of the county for at least three years, among other prerequisites, Suzy Trutie, deputy supervisor of elections in Miami-Dade County, told CBS News. The candidate must submit qualifying documents that establish their eligibility, and other forms, within a specific time period. The county received the qualifying documents from Fulton on June 8, according to its website, and determined she met the requirements to run for the seat.

That means Fulton is now considered an official candidate for the seat and will appear on the ballot during the election, prompting her social media announcement. 

Fulton is challenging the mayor of Miami Gardens, Oliver Gilbert, for the seat that is up for grabs this year due to term limits, The Associated Press reported last May.

Fulton is one of several mothers who have run for public office after their black sons were shot and killed. 

Democrat Lucy McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis, notably won a seat in the U.S. Congress representing Georgia in 2018 on a gun control platform. Michael Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, was defeated in her bid for a seat on the city council in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2019. Her son's death in a police shooting in the city helped give rise to the national Black Lives Matter movement.

Fulton's son, Trayvon Martin, 17, was shot by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in February of 2012 while Martin was walking back from a convenience store in Florida after buying a pack of Skittles and iced tea. Zimmerman was later found not guilty of murder after claiming self-defense. 

Since her son's death, Fulton has been an outspoken advocate for stricter gun control and has become one of the nation's prominent voices against gun violence. 

Along with Trayvon's father, Tracy Martin, she established the Trayvon Martin Foundation in 2012, which aims to "provide both emotional and financial support to families who have loss [sic] a child to gun violence," according to its site. Fulton also founded Circle of Mothers, an organization that brings together mothers who have lost their children or family members due to "senseless gun violence for the purpose of healing, empowerment, and fellowship towards the larger aim of community building," according to its site. 

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• George Zimmerman
• Trayvon Martin
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