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This past weekend, the mother of Trayvon Martin, Sybrina Fulton, was bestowed with an honorary doctorate from Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, according to reports.
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Fulton, who worked tirelessly since losing her son to gun violence, has been a pillar of strength that Benedict College officials wanted to honor.
“Sybrina is a model of grace and strength,” said President and CEO of Benedict College Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis in a press release. “Because of her passion and dedication, ‘we are all Trayvon’ and demand social justice for our sons.”
Fulton was given the distinguished honor during the school’s fall commencement. Columbia’s Mayor Steve Benjamin also handed her the key to the city.
Rest In Power
On February 26, 2012, Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, who was 28 at the time. Zimmerman admitted killing Martin but said he was acting in self-defense. He was eventually acquitted of all charges.
The case gained national attention and celebrities like Jay-Z took up the issue and spoke at the Trayvon Martin Peace Walk & Peace Talk, and stood in support along with Trayvon’s parents earlier this year.
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The rapper who is known to produce projects that shed light on the plight of Black men and boys released a six-part documentary series based on Martin’s life and death called Rest in Power, The Trayvon Martin Story.
Last month, George Zimmerman received a one-year probation sentence for stalking a private investigator associated with a documentary film series on Trayvon Martin, the unarmed Black teen that Zimmerman murdered in 2012.
The former Florida neighborhood watchman pled no contest to the stalking charge, although Zimmerman was not present in the courtroom when the decision was rendered, according to Fox News. The conviction will be withheld if the conditions of his probation—which include not contacting the victim—are met.