Last night, I had the privilege of hearing Yusef Salaam speak at Vanderbilt at the MLK Commemorative Series keynote address. One of the Exonerated Five, formerly known as the Central Park Five, Salaam was wrongfully convicted of rape as a 15-year old in New York City in 1989. His conviction was overturned thirteen years later.
In the address, Salaam spoke about the importance of truth, honesty and storytelling. It was interesting to hear about how his experience of wrongful conviction changed his purpose and the trajectory of his life.
The Netflix mini series When They See Us is based on the story of the Exonerated Five. Salaam reflected on how working with producer Ava DuVernay to create the series required him to tap back into some of his suppressed trauma from the time while he was incarcerated.
I watched When They See Us this past weekend, and although it was difficult to watch at many points, it was a powerful representation of the injustice and abuse that Salaam and the other members of the Exonerated Five suffered. Television and movies are powerful tools for sharing the emotions and injustice that certain communities and individuals experience. I really recommend taking a few hours to watch the series.
I was struck by the similarities between the Exonerated Five case and the case of Walter McMillian presented in Just Mercy. Both cases represent blatant corruption and racism in the criminal justice system. And in both cases, wrongful convictions took years and even decades to be overturned.
As we spent today honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy, it is important to reflect on past injustice and to commit ourselves to greater, more complete justice in the future. As MLK Jr. said, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
Watch the trailer for When They See Us here.
- College Football, Ariana Grande, and Water - September 3, 2023
- Livestock and Land Use: How Are We Feeding The Planet? Impactfull April 2022 - April 19, 2022
- What Does Voluntourism Look Like? A Case Study in a Cambodian Orphanage - March 28, 2022