January 28, 2021
Yusef Salaam
A member of the “Central Park Five” who was wrongfully convicted of raping a white female jogger in 1989 is the keynote speaker for the virtual Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Dialogue (MLK DOD) Feb. 8-12 at the University of Wyoming.
Yusef Salaam, who was 15 at the time, served six years and eight months in a juvenile facility before the five teenagers’ sentences were overturned in 2002. He will discuss the case and his work Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 5:30 p.m. The link to view the presentation will soon become available on the MLK DOD website.
Through this annual week of programming, UW celebrates the continuing impact of King’s life and ideals. The MLK DOD tradition is intended to expand institutional and community awareness about issues of diversity and social justice, to foster an inclusive community, and to empower individuals to act in solidarity with Black lives and marginalized communities, say Erin Olsen Pueblitz and Melanie Vigil, co-direc