PHILADELPHIA — With mothers of police violence victims on the stage and anti-gun protesters in the streets, Hillary Clinton and Democrats are giving gun control and efforts to curb police violence a starring role at their summer convention.

A group of women who have lost children to gun violence or after contact with police took the stage to applause and chants of “black lives matter” on Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention. Known as the Mothers of the Movement, the group includes Sybrina Fulton, whose 17-year-old son Trayvon Martin was killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer in 2012.

“Hillary Clinton has the compassion and understanding to support grieving mothers,” Fulton said. “She has the courage to lead the fight for common sense gun legislation.”

Also taking the stage Tuesday were former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Pittsburgh Chief of Police Cameron McLay, who said it is possible “to respect and support our police while at the same time pushing for these important criminal justice reforms.”

Clinton has made gun safety one of the foundations of her presidential campaign, vowing to overcome the legendary resistance of gun-rights advocates and their GOP allies to push for expanded criminal background checks and a renewal of a ban on assault weapons.

Her search for a breakthrough comes as Donald Trump has repeatedly touted the benefits of access to firearms as a way to counter to acts of violence. The Republican nominee promoted a law-and-order message at his convention, where speakers routinely expressed solidarity with police officers and decried the recent slayings of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.