In an exclusive interview with theGrio, Sybrina Fulton said her son, Trayvon Martin, was a ‘praying teen,’ and was active in his church. Fulton pushed back on the negative impressions of her son in the media, saying he was always “respectable,” but was also a typical teenager.
“Since the age of seventeen, he was still a mommas boy,” Fulton said, “He made it no secret, he would kiss me in public that was just a natural thing for him.”
WATCH: TheGrio exclusive interview with Sybrina Fulton:
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Fulton said Trayvon participated in youth activities at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Miami Gardens, where the family attended. She also said that people don’t realize how grounded in their church she and her sons, Trayvon and Jhavaris, 21, have always been.
Fulton maintains that she doesn’t pay attention to the negative things being said about her son, because the people saying them didn’t know him.
“People that knew him, knew he was respective, playful, had a good sense of humor, nice manners … [that he] always respects authority,” she said.
And about reports of Trayvon getting into trouble at school, including the suspension that led him to be in Sanford on the night of February 26th, Fulton said, “I just feel that no one has ever said he’s perfect. No teenager is perfect, but I will say he was very respectable, he didn’t do anything criminal. He didn’t do anything that was violent, most importantly, didn’t do anything to lead to him being murdered. Everything people are making up and saying about him has nothing to do with what happened on Feb 26th.”
And at one point, an emotional Fulton, recalled her fondest memory of her son, talking about him in the present tense, as if he is still there.
“My fondest memory of him is when I come home from work, he is just there. He is just smiling, he opens the door for me — he actually listens for my car for me to come home from work. He is there to greet me when I come through the door, that is what I will miss about him.”
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