Central Park Five Cross The Stage With Honorary High School Diplomas

The five men that make up the C.P. Five are Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana Jr., and Kharey Wise. In 1989, they were found guilty of the brutal rape of a woman jogging in the park when they were all teenagers, ranging from 14-16 years old. Calling out the fallacies of their interrogation, admitting they were coerced to make incriminating statements, the black and Latino teens all refused a plea bargain and were sentenced to seven to 13 years in prison.

They got a taste of freedom a few years earlier than the 13-year maximum they received. Over a decade after their conviction, all men were exonerated and the true assailant, Matias Reyes, admitted his guilt with a DNA evidence confirmation.

How did they end up receiving diplomas from Bronx Prep? It was a mixture of a government class teacher, students’ demands and the assistant principal.

Educator Marielle Colucci uses the documentary, The Central Park Five, as a “tool to teach students about the justice system.”

As Ms. Colucci was providing an intro for Richardson’s discussion with her class, per the students’ demand, she detailed to the New York Times: “The most important thing for me as a teacher is that they leave here knowing their rights and what they actually mean, and there is no one better to speak to that than these guys.”

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