Black History Month kicks off with Yusef Salaam, Litt.D., of the Exonerated Five

Yusef Salaam, Litt.D., will be the keynote speaker for Black History Month at U-M.

Salaam will speak on Monday, Feb. 3 at 6:30 p.m. in the Michigan Union Ballroom (doors open at 6 p.m.).

Salaam, one of the Exonerated Five, formerly known as the Central Park Five, actively works to advocate on issues of mass incarceration, police brutality and misconduct, false confessions, press ethics and bias, race and law, and the disparities in America’s criminal justice system, especially for young men of color.

Since his release from prison more than 20 years ago, Salaam has become a family man, father, poet, activist and inspirational speaker. In 2016, he received a lifetime achievement award from President Barack Obama.

He was appointed to the board of the Innocence Project in 2018 and has released a Netflix Feature limited series called “When They See Us” based on the true story of the “Central Park Five” with Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey and Robert De Nero in May 2019.

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