A month after their son was shot to death, Trayvon Martin’s parents will be on Capitol Hill Tuesday to attend a forum on racial profiling and hate crimes.
EXCLUSIVE: A Prayer For Trayvon
Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, whose teenage son Trayvon was shot to death last month by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in Sanford, Fla., will be in the audience, but won’t testify during the two-hour forum.
STORY: March For Justice! Protesters Rally For Trayvon Martin With Hoodies & Skittles
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee organized the forum. Trayvon’s parents won’t speak, but their family attorney Benjamin Crump will testify.
Four Congressional Black Caucus members who serve on the Judiciary Committee — Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Corrine Brown (D-Fla.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) — came up with the idea for the forum.
Speakers and participants will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. and a briefing at 3 p.m.
According to a notice from the forum, their goal is to discuss:
“The role of the federal government regarding racial profiling and hate crime issues.”
However it doesn’t appear that any Republicans are attending: Jackson Lee spokesman Michael McQuerry said GOP lawmakers “have been made aware” of the briefing and that it is open to all, but Kim Smith, a spokeswoman for Judiciary Committee chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), said she thought the event was a “press availability” and wasn’t sure Republicans were attending.
Hopefully an open discussion can create some momentum in the fight for justice. #HoodiesUp
