Trinity Commons Speaker Series with Yusef Salaam

At the Speaker Series on Jan 20, the keynote speaker Dr. Yusef Salaam talked about his lived experience with the US Justice System as it relates to his work as a prison reform activist.

Dr.  Salaam, one of the Exonerated Five, was only 15 years old when he was wrongly convicted in the infamous “Central Park jogger” case, along with four other Black and Latinx young men.

The Exonerated Five spent between seven to 13 years behind bars for crimes they did not commit, until their sentences were overturned in 2002. They have been profiled in award-winning films, including The Central Park Five documentary and most recently the Emmy award-winning Netflix limited series When They See Us. 

Over the past two decades, Dr. Salaam uses his platform to advocate for criminal justice reform, prison reform, and the abolition of juvenile solitary confinement and capital punishment. He is also a New York Times bestselling author, and recently released his memoir, Better, Not Bitter.

Watch the highlights of this event.