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(In)Justice For All

Mothers of Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown to participate in Oct. 28 panel at Syracuse University

By Sara Swann

The mothers of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown are scheduled to appear in a panel discussion at Syracuse University on Oct. 28 from 7-9 p.m.

Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown, and Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, will participate in a discussion called “(In)Justice For All” in Goldstein Auditorium inside the Schine Student Center. This is the first time the two mothers will do an event of this kind, according to an SU News release.

Tickets for the event are free, and will be available for SU and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry students, faculty and staff with a valid ID starting Oct. 14 at 9 a.m. in Schine. Tickets will be limited to two per person. On Oct. 22, the remaining tickets will be made available to members of the community.

Martin, 17, was fatally shot by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman on Feb. 26, 2012. In July 2013, a Florida jury found Zimmerman not guilty in the Martin’s death. Zimmerman argued the shooting was in self-defense.

Brown, 18, was shot and killed by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9, 2014. In November 2014, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch announced that a grand jury had decided not to indict Wilson for any crimes related to the fatal shooting of Brown.



The university’s National Pan Hellenic Council (NPHC), a council comprised of nine historically black Greek lettered organizations, is sponsoring the event, according to the release.

In addition to McSpadden and Fulton, National Bar Association President Benjamin Crump, CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin, CNN news anchor Fredricka Whitfield and Department of Public Safety Chief Bobby Maldonado will also be participating in the discussion, according to the release.

Panelists will answer questions from a moderator and audience members, who can submit their questions via Twitter with #IFACuseNPHC.

“Our goal is to make this an informative event, to bring understanding and unity within the Syracuse community about injustices within the country,” NPHC Vice President Nina Rodgers said in the release. “As the title for our event demonstrates, one act of violence, mistreatment or wrongdoing is something that affects not just one community. It affects us all.”





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