Bland's mother at DNC: Black life cut short 'a national loss'
The mother of former Naperville woman Sandra Bland led a group of mothers who lost children to violence that drew applause and chants of "black lives matter" Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention.
"I am here with Hillary Clinton tonight because she is a leader and a mother who will say our children's names," Geneva Reed-Veal said.
Sandra Bland was found hanged in a Texas jail cell last year after her arrest during a traffic stop.
"Hillary knows that when a young black life is cut short, it's not just a personal loss. It is a national loss," Reed-Veal said, as transcribed by NPR. "It is a loss that diminishes all of us."
The group, known as the Mothers of the Movement, also included the mothers Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner. The women have campaigned for Hillary Clinton across the country in recent months, advocating for criminal justice reforms and gun control.
Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, told Democrats that she supports Hillary Clinton because the presidential nominee "is a mother who can assure our movement will succeed."
Trayvon Martin was fatally shot in Florida by a neighborhood watch volunteer in 2012 at the age of 17. The gunman was later acquitted of second-degree murder.
Martin's mother said that Clinton "has the compassion and understanding to support grieving mothers. She has the courage to lead the fight for common sense gun legislation."