The shooting deaths of their sons—Trayvon Martin

and Jordan Davis—and the verdicts that followed galvanized

Sybrina Fulton and Lucia McBath to join a war against

Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. Here, in an excerpt from

their emotional conversation, the two mothers talk about

the battle they’re committed to winning.

interview and photographs by dudley m. brooks

They’re the first ones to admit that they didn’t choose to be social activists. But approximately two years after both of their teenaged sons were slain by two gunmen, each one falsely perceiving the youths to be suspicious and threats to their safety, Sybrina Fulton and Lucia McBath find themselves on the frontlines of a nationwide crusade to demand justice and safety for all children. They would trade anything to have their sons back—alive and prospering—but they know that the best thing they can do now is to help protect others from the pain that they have suffered. This allegiance is now their focus, and it encompasses an unwavering resolve to get others involved. On the eve of the day that hundreds of marchers convened in Tallahassee, Fla., to call for an end to the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law, the mothers talked with each other about why it’s important to continue their fight for justice and how they should honor the memories of their sons.

Read the remainder of this article in the May 2014 issue of EBONY Magazine.