November 8th 2023.
On November 7th, Yusef Salaam, a man who had previously been wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit, won a seat on New York City Council. This momentous victory comes decades after he spent nearly seven years in prison.
Salaam, a lifelong resident of Harlem, NY, ran a successful campaign for the Democratic primary and won by a landslide. On the campaign trail, Salaam made it his mission to energize and activate the locals, aiming to address the issues facing the community. These included housing, workforce and economic development, justice and safety, environmental justice and more.
Before the election, Salaam spoke to a news outlet and said, “For me, this means that we can really become our ancestors’ wildest dreams.”
Salaam is no stranger to activism and education. He is a board member of the Innocence Project, a founding member of Justice 4 the Wrongfully Incarcerated, and a 25-year member of the Frederick E. Samuel Community Democratic Club. In 1989, Salaam was wrongfully accused and charged with the assault and rape of Trisha Meili, a white woman, in Central Park in New York City. He was sentenced to 5 to 10 years and spent 12 years fighting for his innocence. In 2002, DNA testing proved his innocence and all five teenagers were exonerated.
Salaam has been walking in his power of forgiveness and advocacy since then. He has been dedicating his life to being useful to his community, to his neighborhood, and to his city. He has also been advocating for criminal justice reform, prison reform, and the abolition of juvenile solitary confinement and capital punishment.
He is determined to make the most of his new role and to be an empowering voice in his district. We wish him the best of luck on his new journey!
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