City leaders and activists gathered in Manhattan Saturday to commemorate Trayvon Martin’s life 10 years after his fatal shooting.

Martin, 17, was unarmed when he was killed in a Florida neighborhood in 2012 by self-proclaimed neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in 2012 after the youth bought candy and iced tea at a nearby convenience store.

Zimmerman claimed self-defense and was later acquitted during a jury trial. Martin’s death fueled the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement just a couple years later.

Martins’ family, Mayor Eric Adams and Rev. Al Sharpton gathered at the National Action Network to celebrate the teen’s life and push for change.

Adams said Martin did not lose his life in vain but instead to protect people of color who suffer from hate crimes today.

"Trayvon Martin was killed because of who he looks like. That is what you're seeing if someone is Asian. They are being murdered because of who they look like. Someone is in the transgender community, they are being murdered for who they look like," Adams said.

There wasn't a dry eye in the room as Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, took the podium.

"Not even the death of my son will separate me from the love of my son," Fulton said.

She said she typically does not make plans on the Feb. 26 each year, but explained that she had an important message to share on the 10-year anniversary of her son's death.

"We have to continue holding people accountable for killing our loved ones. We have to continue to support our children, our families, our loved ones. We had to continue. You can't give up. We've come too far," Fulton emphasized.