'I Would Give It All Up To Have Him Back:' Trayvon Martin's Mom Speaks Out On 10th Anniversary Of Death

Ten years after Trayvon Martin was killed, his mother is speaking out about his death.

“I think about all the things that have happened — from meeting President Obama to talking to other families who have gone through the same thing. It's gratifying that Trayvon is remembered and is part of making a change, but I would give it all up to have him back,” Sybrina Fulton, 54, told People, in an interview published on Saturday. “Nothing good that has happened can make up for the fact that I lost my son.”

Saturday marked the 10th anniversary of 17-year-old Martin’s death. The teen was visiting family in Sanford, Florida in 2012, when he took a walk to a nearby convenience store to grab Skittles and a can of Arizona Iced Tea. While walking back, he came across George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch member, who confronted him about being in the area. In the ensuing altercation, Zimmerman shot Martin to death.

Zimmerman was later charged with Martin's murder, but argued the shooting done in self-defense and justified under Florida's "stand your ground" law. Prosecutors characterized Zimmerman as someone who sought out the conflict. The shooting sparked protests and a national debate about race and the stand-your-ground law.

Zimmerman was acquitted in 2013 after a highly publicized trial. 

Trayvon Martin and his mother Sybrina Fulton. Photo: Getty Images

A lawsuit he filed against Martin's family, their attorney Benjamin Crump, and Harper Collins (which published a book Crump wrote on the case) was thrown out earlier this month. In it, Zimmerman sought $100 million, claiming the defendants wrongfully portrayed him as a racist in the media.

Fulton and Crump published a recent essay in which the mother reflects upon her son’s death, and how it influenced social justice movements, a decade later. In the essay, Fulton notes how she still cries everyday. 

“I can be going along with my day just fine, and then something will happen,” she told People. “They're called triggers: You hear something or see something that reminds you, and the emotions come back. I have days that are easier and days that are harder. I miss Trayvon, and I'll miss him every day of my life.”

She said she shares a bond with other Black mothers who lost their children tragically, specifically to police or racially-motivated violence.

“I talk to as many of them as I can,” she told People. “I have had to struggle with some guilt if I can't talk to everybody. But I'll set aside time to have those conversations.”

The mother said she is focused on ending “senseless gun violence.” 

“If there's anything good that can come out of what happened to Trayvon, it's that people are more aware,” she stated. “And maybe that can make a difference.”