Three years after Trayvon Martin killing, two women’s lives intersect

When people are faced with overwhelming trauma in their lives, some become consumed by their difficulties, while others emerge stronger for it. In special circumstances, they may find their destiny, and seek to heal the world and make all of us stronger.

Myrlie Evers-Williams and Sybrina Fulton are two great women whose achievements demand our attention. Although their personal stories are separated by five decades, these women share parallel lives. Thrust into a position of leadership for the greater good of society, they have used personal grief over the loss of a loved one to become agents for change.

Each of these extraordinary women experienced unthinkable tragedy: the killing of a black man in their life who was gunned down while still young. Recently, the two women met in person for the taping of a video for CNN and theGrio.

Evers-Williams is the widow of Medgar Evers, the iconic civil rights leader who served as the field secretary for the NAACP in Mississippi. On June 12, 1963, Evers, who fought against discrimination and segregation and led voter registration efforts, was assassinated by a white supremacist named Byron De La Beckwith, a founder of the state’s White Citizens Council.

During Black History Month, we are reminded that civil rights martyrs become catalysts for new movements. And great women lead and transform the world.

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CNN