Campus & Community

Mothers of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown to Appear in Panel Discussion Oct. 28

Saturday, October 3, 2015, By Keith Kobland

A panel discussion including the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown is scheduled to take place at Syracuse University on Wednesday, October 28, at the Goldstein Auditorium in the Hildegarde and J.Myer Schine Student Center. (All tickets have been distributed for the event. Overflow viewing is available at Schine Dining.)

Michael Brown’s mother Lesley McSpadden, and Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, will appear for a unique discussion entitled “(In)Justice For All”. This is the first time McSpadden and Fulton have taken part in an event of this nature. The panel discussion is sponsored by the National Pan Hellenic Council (NPHC) of Syracuse University, which is a council comprised of nine historically black Greek lettered organization. Also taking part in the discussion will be National Bar Association President Benjamin Crump, Sunny Hostin and Fredricka Whitfield from CNN, and Department of Public Safety Chief Robert “Bobby” Maldonado.

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

Panelists will field questions from the moderator and from audience members, who can submit their questions via twitter under the hashtag of #IFACuseNPHC.

Tickets for the event, which runs from 7-9 p.m. on October 28, are free of charge and will be available at the Schine Student Center for SU/ESF students, faculty, and staff on Wednesday, October 14th, starting at 9 a.m. Students, staff, and faculty will be required to show a valid SU/ESF ID at the time of obtaining tickets. Tickets will be limited to two per person. After that, the remaining tickets will be made available to members of the community, beginning Thursday, October 22nd, from the Schine Box Office.

Please note, backpacks will not be allowed inside the auditorium. American Sign Language ASL) interpretation and Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART) will be provided.

Following this event, NPHC and the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Affairs, will offer spaces for the campus community to come together to reflect, support, and engage with one another. Experienced campus facilitators will be on hand to participate in this exchange. Please feel free to join us in room 304, Schine Student Center, immediately following the event.