(The Root) — It's been an emotional, infuriating, draining day for those who digested the harsh reality that George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. But that didn't stop supporters of the Martin family from taking to the cable news shows to defend his legacy and push for more action. Meanwhile, Zimmerman supporters also engaged in a pitched battle on behalf of the former neighborhood watchman to express that justice had been done. Below, find a roundup of some of the verdict-related conversations on the Sunday news programs.
Robert Zimmerman Jr. , George Zimmerman's brother, CNN's 'Reliable Sources'
Robert Zimmerman Jr. (Pool/Getty Images)
I think the media has to do a better job. When you have people injecting race into things, a red flag has to go up right away, especially after a case like this where two very crafty attorneys got away with fabricating a completely scripted narrative and selling it to the American people through the media …
To borrow a line from the movie Argo, "If you want to sell a lie, have the media sell it for you. And I guess there is no better example of that than Mr. Crump and Ms. Jackson."
Benjamin Todd Jealous, president and CEO, NAACP, on CNN's 'State of the Union'
Benjamin Todd Jealous (Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
What Martin Luther King III and I have in common is that we are both raising young black kids in this country now. And the reality is that as a black parent, the unfortunate fact is that the older your child gets, the more you are in fear that they might not just get hurt by the bad guys, but they might get hurt by the good guys who mistake them for a bad guy because of their color.
Newt Gingrich, on CNN's 'State of the Union'
Newt Gingrich (Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Are we going to be led by healers who say, let's have a conversation together, or are we going to be led by people who divide us? My fear is that it will be used by some people to further divide the nation and further polarize it.
Roberta Felton, Trayvon Martin's cousin, on MSNBC's 'Melissa Harris-Perry'
Screenshot of Roberta Felton on MSNBC's 'Melissa Harris-Perry' (MSNBC)
Just remember Trayvon, as Sabrina always said. It could have been your son, could have been my baby, could have been anyone in America's baby just walking to the store and coming back with Skittles and iced tea. Things do happen in life, but sometimes it's not fair. It's just not.
Iesha Felton, cousin Trayvon Martin's cousin, on MSNBC's 'Melissa Harris-Perry'
Screenshot of Iesha Felton on MSNBC's 'Melissa Harris-Perry' (MSNBC)