Dr. Yusef Salaam at FSC

In the 31st episode of the Fountain Street Church podcast, Listening At The Fire, host Virginia Anzengruber shares a conversation between Dr. Yusef Salaam (The Exonerated Five) and Professor Jermaine Reese, Director of the Police and Corrections Academy at GRCC. Dr. Salaam was the keynote speaker at the 34th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration held at Fountain Street Church on January 20, 2020. This event was produced in partnership with GRCC's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Grand Valley State University; and Davenport University.

During this discussion, Dr. Salaam highlights:

The power of messaging in conveying the realities of others

The nuances of the Criminal Justice system

Challenging historically archaic perceptions about persons of color within the context of police work

The philosophy and importance of noble community policing practices

 

"In 1989 when Yusef Salaam was 15 years old, he was accused and convicted of attacking and raping a woman who was jogging in New York City’s Central Park. Salaam was one of five teenagers convicted of the crime; they collectively became known as the Central Park Five, and their lives were upended and changed forever. Their convictions were vacated in 2002 after spending between seven and thirteen years of their lives imprisoned. The unidentified DNA in the Central Park Jogger Case, unlinked to any of the five, had finally met its owner, a convicted murderer and serial rapist who confessed. The convictions of the boys, now men, were overturned, and they were 𝙚𝙭𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙. 

Since his exoneration, Dr. Salaam has become a husband, father, poet, activist, and an influential transformational speaker. Determined to educate the public, Yusef eagerly shares his story with others to advocate for drastic policy changes to the prison industrial complex. Furthermore, in speaking out against injustice, he conveys the importance of continuing one’s education—whether formal or otherwise. He also touches on the effects of incarceration and the disenfranchisement of economically disadvantaged people and its devastating impact on both their families and the community at large." 

New episodes of Listening at the Fire will release every other Monday at https://www.fountainstreet.org/podcast.

NOW AVAILABLE ON ITUNES, GOOGLE PLAY, and most podcast apps and always at https://www.fountainstreet.org/podcast.

This episode is sponsored by The Wealthy Theatre. A proud service of the Grand Rapids Community Media Center, Wealthy Theatre is a beautifully restored historic landmark, upgraded with state of the art technology. Originally opened in 1911, Wealthy Theatre is now a community venue and free speech platform that is home to a diverse range of stage productions, concerts, movie screenings and more. With two traditional auditoriums as well as dance studios and meeting rooms, the Community Media Center’s Wealthy Theatre is equipped to host a wide variety of events. For more information on rental opportunities or upcoming events, please visit https://grcmc.org/theatre.

Episode Credits:

Producer/Host: Virginia Anzengruber

Editor/Sound Recordist: Virginia Anzengruber

Special thanks to: Dr. Afeni Cobham, Dr. Yusef Salaam, Professor Jermaine Reese, and the GRCC Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Theme song: "Alone Again" by Kingsbury. Her new song "In My Brain" is available on Spotify, and her single "Blurry Now" is featured in the newest season of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix, and the new music video for "All Gone" is now on YouTube.