EXCLUSIVE: Inside Her Story Talks to Lucia McBath About Forgiveness

On “Inside Her Story” this morning, Jacque Reid talked to Jordan Davis‘ mother, Lucia McBath. McBath says that despite the outcome of the Michael Dunn trial she still believes justice will be done and she forgives her son’s killer. Here is their conversation:

JACQUE REID:  You know, many of us are still trying to process the verdict in the Michael Dunn trial. Dunn used “Stand Your Ground” as his defense against shooting and killing Jordan Davis because Davis and his friends were playing loud music in their car. Now that the jury deadlocked forcing a mistrial on murder charges against Dunn, a new trial is set for the future. Meanwhile, a mother, who lost her son, is working to make sure other mothers don’t suffer the same pain. I’m going Inside Her Story with Jordan Davis’s mother Lucia McBath. Good morning, Mrs. McBath.

TOM JOYNER:  Oh, bless your heart.

LUCIA MCBATH: Good morning, good morning.

TOM JOYNER: Bless your heart, Mrs. McBath.

Jacque: Now you are still in DC this morning and you were there for President Obama’s announcement yesterday about My Brother’s Keeper initiative, which is about finding more ways to create pathways of success for boys and young men of color. Did you get an opportunity to meet with President Obama yesterday? I know there was a lot going on.

Lucia: Oh, there were so many people there. I didn’t get a chance to shake his hand, but we were sitting just two rows from him. So it was just so exciting to be a part of history and to see him in person. I was just extremely encouraged by yesterday’s events.

Jacque: The parents of Trayvon Martin were also there, and I know that you all had been in touch through what you had been going through with your son and the trial and everything. How helpful had they been through all of this?

Lucia: They have been extremely encouraging. You know, we have always been talking back and forth, texting back and forth, and particularly during our trial. Our communication was a little bit more rapid and increasing. And they were with us yesterday; we sat right next to them yesterday. And I think that, you know, it’s kind of like collation building for the two families, that we’re going to be working together, working very closely, going forward towards really making some change with the laws so that, you know, no other family has to suffer the way we have.

Jacque: Now I know next month you guys are going to be addressing the state legislature about Stand Your Ground. Do you think that law will ever go away?

Lucia: It will. It will have to. There’d be so much public pressure, and public opinion, definitely, about the law beginning to change, the more that each state individually knows about the law. The citizens are learning about the laws in their individual states. It’s going to have to change. t’s a matter of just changing the culture. We have to change the gun culture in the country. Once we change the mindset it will happen. It’s not going to happen overnight, but it will happen.

Tom: Will we see you March 10th in Tallahassee?

Lucia: Yes, sir. I will, we will be there. We’ll definitely be there; we will not miss that for the world.

Tom: Tell your husband I’m going to hug you real tight.

LM: Okay.

Tom: I’m going to hug him too.

Lucia: (Laughs)

Jacque: Mrs. McBath, let me ask you for those out there dealing with various difficult times. How are you able to forgive Michael Dunn? You said publicly that, you know, you wouldn’t forget what he did, but you were able to forgive him.

Lucia: My faith in God, because God commands us to, no matter how heinous we’re treated by others. You know, that, what he has done, he has to deal with that issue, what he’s done, with God. mean that will be his discussion, that will be his heritage, his legacy, that he will have to deal with, with God. I’ve done what I am commanded to do, because I really do feel sorry for him. I know people think that I’m crazy when I say that, but I really do feel sorry for him.

Jacque: I think it’s commendable.

Tom: I know your husband doesn’t feel the same way.

Lucia: No, he does not. Ron does not feel the same way. But, you know, I also look at it too is that, you know, from a male/female perspective, you know, it’s going to be a little bit different. And he has to handle that the way that he needs to. I believe that he will in some time because he is a God-fearing man. I believe at some time he may, but he has to, you know, work through that process on his own.

Lucia: It was a process. It definitely was a process. It was within the first 60 days I would say because it weighed very, very heavily on my heart that everything I had been teaching and training Jordan to do as a Christian, can I myself do that? And I just felt, Lord, you know, you’ve commanded of me to teach Jordan and train him to be loving, accepting and forgiving. And I have to do the same. I cannot be a spiritual hypocrite. And so I, it took a lot of prayers, a lot of and a lot of prayer. But once I was able to completely forgive him, then that freed me up because I couldn’t do what God has given me to do now, the work, you know, could not do that bearing that burden on my shoulder.

Jacque: Considering that, was it difficult for you to be in the courtroom with the man that killed your son?

Lucia: In the beginning. In the beginning it was very, very difficult to look at him. Now I don’t really look at him when we’re in court. I just don’t even, you know, give him any time and effort that way. But in the very beginning it was very, very difficult.

Jacque: Do you think he’ll ever be convicted of murder? Michael Dunn?

Lucia: I certainly pray that he will. I think that there’s enough public outcry. I think enough evidence will continue to come out about who he is as an individual. And I think that, you know, the nation, that, you know, the justice system is not going to be able to turn its back on the truth. On the truth.

Jacque: Do you think prosecutors should’ve done anything differently? You know, now that you look back at it, at this point, I know earlier on you said right after the verdict came down that you understood that they did the best that they could. But do you think that, you know, looking back that they should’ve done anything differently?

Lucia: Well, you know, there are always things that, you know, Jordan’s father and I were sitting there, you know, asking questions saying, well, can you not introduce this as evidence? Can you not introduce that as evidence? And, you know, they’ve done the best that they could at that point. I would say that, you know, honestly I think they really believe that there was so much credible evidence that we shouldn’t have to have gone any other direction. And we believed so too. We thought, you know, the evidence is overwhelming, how can you deny the truth?

Tom: What was Jordan like as a child?

Lucia: Oh, thank you so much for asking that, because I love talking about Jordan. He was just a good kid. He was not a perfect child, but he was a good kid with a good spirit, a good soul. Very, very likable. He loved people, very, very social, always trying to make people laugh.

Tom: Oh? A class clown?

Lucia: Yes.

Tom: I can relate.

Lucia: Oh? (Laughs)

Jacque: Yes, you can, Tom.

Lucia: Yeah. (Laughs) He definitely was a class clown. And that was one of the beautiful things that learning of who Jordan is outside of myself, and all of the students that we talked to, all of his friends have always said, yeah, Jordan was always trying to make you laugh, always trying to keep you happy. If you were feeling sad about something he was always doing whatever he could to lift your spirits.

Jacque: What advice do you give to other moms of young black boys?

Lucia: I think it’s really important that you instill with them a sense of self-worth, that you instill with them that they have value, that they matter. And that they have to be who God has ordained them to be. And don’t be afraid to do that. If you want to wear your hoodie, wear your hoodie. If you want to wear, if you want to play loud music, play loud music. Be who you are. Don’t be in fear of that. And don’t let anyone ever try to distract from who you are. You have a right to exist. As a young black male, you have a right to exist. I used to tell those things to Jordan all the time. And I think that’s the thing he was doing; was standing up for himself and standing up for the boys saying that we have the right to exist and play our music loud.

Jacque: Had you all had that conversation? That Trayvon conversation? About how people will look at them a certain way and how to respond to that?

Lucia: Yes, many, many times, because we had, at times things that happened at Jordan where he had been deemed, you know, a particular way because he was a young black male. here were times at school I would have to go and champion for my son because of the treatment he had received from other children. So those are the kind of discussions that we had all the time. I would always say to Jordan, because you are a black male you may be perceived at times in a way that is not very likable. And, but you have to understand who you are. You don’t let anyone else place on you or define who you are. You know, you are a young black male. You do matter. You do have value. You come from good stock. You come from, you know, so we are just really grateful that I think he learned those things.

SYBIL WILKES: Thank you for sharing so much of that.

Jacque: Yeah, thank you for taking the time and talking to us, Mrs. McBath. We wish all the best.