Trayvon Martin’s mother: Announced bid for local office because I ‘needed to be part of the change’

The mother of Trayvon Martin, the black unarmed teenager who was fatally shot by then-neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in Florida in 2012, on Monday said that she is running for local office because she “needed to be part of the change.”

Sybrina Fulton, who on Sunday announced a run for the Miami-Dade County Commission, told supporters Monday that she had never intended to get involved in politics, and that the political world left “a sour taste” in her mouth, according to The Associated Press.

{mosads}However, after her son’s death, she said she realized she “needed to become a part of the change.”

“When my son got shot down, I stood up,” Fulton said, per AP. “And I’m still standing.”

Fulton has been politically active for the last seven years and started a South Florida-based organization that aims to end “senseless gun violence.”

Fulton said in addition to gun violence she hopes to combat growing crime in the district. She’s also said she’s concerned with issues pertaining to housing access, mental illness and the elderly.

“I’m bringing fresh new energy to problems that we’ve seen for a long time,” she said.

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