In "Better, Not Bitter," Dr. Yusef Salaam tells his story of hope and resilience in the face of his wrongful incarceration as one of the wrongly accused Central Park Five. Justina Giglio Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Dr. Yusef Salaam joined Kresge staff to speak at a Lunch & Learn last week, where he reflected on his journey as a member of the Exonerated Five and shared stories from his memoir Better, Not Bitter. Lunch & Learn sessions support the organizational learning and skill development necessary to further Kresge’s commitment to equity work. Salaam referenced his memoir throughout the session to support the insights he gained as one of the Central Park Five, a group of Black and Latino teenagers wrongfully accused and convicted of a violent crime in New York’s Central Park who are now, after being freed, known as the Exonerated Five. The retelling of his experience showed Kresge staff how narrative has the power to build up and break down personal agency. He continuously reiterated: “Narrative has the power to build or destroy something, and reaffirming one’s sense of self and purpose mitigates the impacts of harmful narratives.” Salaam credited his mother, Sharonne Salaam, and an inmate for helping him maintain his sense of self when the New York City media and criminal justice system were falsely accusing him along with Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise of Trisha Meili’s assault and rape in 1989. Specifically, when the New York City Police Department wanted Salaam and the other teenagers to videotape false confessions to prove their involvement, his mother told him: “They need you to participate in whatever it is they are trying to do,” Salaam recounted. “She said, ‘Do not participate.’” Salaam never recorded a confession because of this advice – unlike the rest of the accused. This preserved his agency, he said, because he didn’t conform to the racist narratives the courts and media used to assume the Exonerated Five’s guilt. An inmate – also serving a sentence for a crime he didn’t commit – also gave Salaam advice on how to move on after being imprisoned for seven years. He said, “Every single one of us is born into this world as a blank canvas, and everyone that comes across our path takes their brush and leaves a mark on our surface. And this is how we grow and develop.” The fellow inmate continued, “But there comes a time when you have to pick up your own brush and determine who and what you will be: just another painting, or a masterpiece.” Kresge Health Program Fellow Michael Thompson (left) discusses the power of narrative with Dr. Yusef Salaam. The rest of the session took the format of a Q&A facilitated by Michael Thompson, Kresge’s Health Program fellow. An overarching theme of this discussion was the harm caused by distorted and untrue narratives about Black and Brown communities. These narratives have frequently appeared in connection to the American criminal justice system and have resulted in wrongful convictions. Dr. Salaam hopes stories like his are retold accurately so Americans can be better equipped to see the signs of distorted narratives against Black and Brown communities and prevent the miscarriage of justice that occurred to the Exonerated Five and countless stories that are similar. Dr. Salaam also highlighted how forgiveness allows one to surgically remove themselves from the pain that was intended by the person who harmed them. He has forgiven those individuals that harmed him, he said, and he is better, not bitter, by doing so. Kresge’s Equity Task Force organized the event and regularly hosts guests to share their experiences with racial equity for foundation staff. Previous guests include Isabel Wilkerson, who wrote “Caste” and “The Warmth of Other Suns”; Curtin Chin, author of “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant”, and Joy Harjo, poet and author, among other speakers.
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