"In this thought-provoking documentary, scholars, activists, and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom. A powerful in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality." Summary from Netflix. Dir. by Ava DuVernay. Duration: 1 hour 40 min. Available streaming from Netflix, personal subscription required.
"THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE, from award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns, tells the story of the five black and Latino teenagers from Harlem who were wrongly convicted of raping a white woman in New York City's Central Park in 1989. This Peabody Award winning film chronicles the Central Park Jogger case, for the first time from the perspective of the five teenagers whose lives were upended by this miscarriage of justice. On April 20, 1989, the body of a woman barely clinging to life is discovered in Central Park. Within days, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Korey Wise, and Yusef Salaam confess to her rape and beating after many hours of aggressive interrogation at the hands of seasoned homicide detectives. The five serve their complete sentences, between 6 and 13 years, before another man admits to the crime, and DNA testing supports his confession." Available from ISU Library's subscription to Kanopy; ISU community can view by logging into ISU Okta and then clicking the embedded video here.
"This TEDx talk by Yusef Salaam focuses on using forgiveness as a path to redemption, rebuilding relationships and community. The fifth suspect in the Central Park Jogger case, at 15 years old Yusef Salaam was wrongly accused and convicted of assaulting a female jogger in Central Park. He spent 7 years of a 10-year sentence incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. In 2002, based on a confession and DNA evidence, the Central Park Five convictions were vacated. Today, he is committed to advocating and educating people on the issues of false confessions, human rights violations and criminal justice. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community." Available from YouTube. Duration: 28 min.
In this special, Oprah Winfrey sits down with the exonerated men behind When They See Us to discuss the ongoing cycles of racism and injustice in our country, and the need for change. Summary from Netflix. Duration: 1 hour 27 min. Available streaming from Netflix, personal subscription required.
Based on a true story that gripped the country, When They See Us will chronicle the notorious case of five teenagers of color, labeled the Central Park Five, who were convicted of a rape they did not commit. The four-part limited series will focus on the five teenagers from Harlem -- Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise. Beginning in the spring of 1989, when the teenagers were first questioned about the incident, the series will span 25 years, highlighting their exoneration in 2002 and the settlement reached with the city of New York in 2014. When They See Us was created by Ava DuVernay, who also co-wrote and directed the four parts. Duration: each of the four parts is approximately 1 hour in length. Available streaming from Netflix, personal subscription required.
