The shooting of Trayvon Martin was heard around the country, resulting in the formation of the Black Lives Matter movement. Twelve years later, Martin’s mother will bring her voice and activism to Big Rapids.
Sybrina Fulton will be speaking on campus as part of Ferris’ 38th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration on Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 5:30 p.m. in BUS111.
Fulton is now the founder of the Trayvon Martin Foundation, a public speaker and author of “Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon.”
According to David Pilgrim, the vice president for Ferris’ Diversity, Inclusion and Strategic Initiatives office, Fulton will be interviewed by a student in a moderated discussion and will take audience questions afterwards.
“Since the 2012 death of her son, Trayvon Martin, Sybrina Fulton has become a national leader in the fight for racial justice,” Pilgrim said in a university announcement. “She has turned a heartbreaking personal tragedy into the catalyst for a movement that challenges our nation to be better.”
Fulton was invited to Ferris by former leaders of the Office of Multicultural Student Services. Autumne Peoples, a sonography and healthcare administration major and student worker at the OMSS, sees Fulton’s discussion as a “great opportunity” for Ferris.
“I believe that what she has to say to us will be very motivational and inspirational,” Peoples said. “It’s for us to look upon the things that we’re doing as a university and as a community at Ferris to maybe change things and do other things differently.”
Pilgrim also stated that this year’s theme for MLK Day events is Activism and Social Justice. Events will be held from Monday, Jan. 15 through Thursday, Jan. 18.
These include a choir performance at 6 p.m. on Jan. 16 and the annual Freedom March, beginning at the Interdisciplinary Resource Center at 4 p.m. on Jan. 17.
The week will conclude with an event to recognize student activism and social justice in the David L. Eisler Center Ballrooms on Jan. 18 at 6 p.m.
A pre-recorded virtual event will also be available at the beginning of the week’s celebrations.
“We honor Woodbridge Ferris when we create a campus where everyone, students, faculty and staff believes that the University belongs to them as much as it belongs to others,” Pilgrim said in the announcement. “The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration is when we remind ourselves of our noble past and our need to remain vigilant in creating an inclusive university.”
Visit the OMSS for more information and read future Torch articles for continued coverage on MLK Day events.