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Exonerated 5 Receive Standing Ovation At 2019 BET Awards

“Your truth is the foundation your legacy will be built upon.”

Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam and Korey Wise of the infamous Central Park Five case graced the 2019 BET Awards stage to present the politically charged performance of H.E.R.

  • A precursor to a powerful spoken word titled “Lord is Coming” by the singer-songwriter, the men now rightfully known as the Exonerated 5 gave an emotional speech on the power of truth. “Your truth is the foundation your legacy will be built upon,” Santana said before a sea of people all on their feet, in awe of the men who were robbed of their youth and adolescence.

    The Exonerated 5 are the subject of Netflix’s When They See Us, a miniseries co-written and directed by Ava DuVernay that explores the lives of the five male suspects who were wrongfully prosecuted in 1990 on charges related to the rape and assault of a woman in Central Park, New York City the year before.

  • According to New York Daily News, the Exonerated 5 received an additional $3.9 million settlement from the New York State Court of Claims in 2016, after the $41 million the state paid in 2014.

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