In 1989, at just 15 years young, Yusef Salaam was wrongfully convicted, along with four other Black and Latino young men, of raping and beating a white woman, Trisha Meili, who was jogging in New York’s Central Park. After almost seven years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, Salaam’s case was overturned and he was set free.

His life, hers, and those of the other young men, were forever changed by this experience. But after Salaam’s release, he has advocated for criminal justice reform, prison reform, and the abolition of juvenile solitary confinement and capital punishment. 

Salaam, who was recently elected to the New York City Council, will share his story at this year’s Ida B. Wells lecture, hosted by the Department of Women and Gender Studies. The event will be held on Tuesday, March 12, from 4-5:30 pm in Mitchell Hall. Salaam will sign copies of his book Better, Not Bitter in Mitchell Hall lobby after the lecture. 

Registration is required. 

To supplement this event, Women and Gender Studies will hold a screening of the documentary “The Central Park Five” on Monday, March 11 at 5:30 p.m. The film chronicles The Central Park Jogger case from the perspective of these five teenagers whose lives were upended by this miscarriage of justice.

For more information, see the event listing.

The Ida B. Wells lecture is supported by a grant from the Mellon Foundation’s Affirming Multivocal Humanities program, the College of Arts and Sciences and UD's Committee on Cultural Activities and Public Events (CAPE).