A powerful moment took place on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, as the mothers of black people killed either by police or due to gun violence took the stage.
Called “The Mothers of the Movement,” the group consists of Sabrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, Lucia McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis, Lezley McSpadden, Mike Brown’s mother, Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, mother to Hadiya Pendleton, Maria Hamilton, the mother of Dontré Hamilton, Geneva Reed-Veal, mother to Sandra Bland, Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner and Wanda Johnson, mother of Oscar Grant.
Each of them appeared on stage to publicly and collectively throw their support to the Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton. Three of them addressed the nation, giving personal stories about their slain children and why Hillary Clinton is the best candidate to resolve the issues plaguing our country.
“What a blessing to be standing here tonight so that Sandy can still speak, through her mama,” Geneva Reed-Veal, mother of Sandra Bland
Sandra Bland’s mother speaks at the #DemConvention: “So many of our children are gone but they are not forgotten.” https://t.co/2DXAIpbr89
— ABC News (@ABC) July 27, 2016
Sandra Bland’s mom says she’s with Clinton because “she’s a leader and a mother who will say our children’s names.” https://t.co/RZl1lrDy8e
— ABC News (@ABC) July 27, 2016
“We are going to keep telling our children’s stories. We are urging you to say their names. We’re going to keep building a future where police officers and communities of color work together in mutual respect to keep children like Jordan safe.” – Lucy McBath, mother of Jordan Davis.
Jordan Davis’ mother: “Hillary Clinton isn’t afraid to say that black lives matter” https://t.co/ecVYgkg46B https://t.co/PIwsrN3T9x
— CNN (@CNN) July 27, 2016
“This isn’t about being politically correct, this is about saving our children,” – Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin.
WATCH: Trayvon Martin’s mother addresses the #DemConvention: “This is about saving our children.” https://t.co/cUgswuLDDI
— ABC News (@ABC) July 27, 2016
Prior to their DNC appearance, the mothers gathered together on GMA to share their message:
These mothers are dedicated to seeing a change in the way our country operates, and they believe Hillary Clinton is the person is the candidate that will make these issues a priority in the White House.
“She’s the first presidential candidate that I’m aware of that has just said ‘this is a national crisis that has to be dealt with,” said McBath.
The main message that they share is to stay vigilant, and that waiting until tragedy happens is the last thing we should do in times like these.
You can read the full transcript of what they said at the DNC at Time.
