Whats Buzzing in the Streets – Page 49

Diahann Carroll

Diahann Carroll ( born July 17, 1935) is an American television and stage actress and singer. She has had a long, successful career that has spanned nearly six decades. After appearing in some of the earliest major studio films to feature black casts such as Carmen Jones (1954) and Porgy and Bess (1959) and on Broadway, she starred in Julia (1968), one of the first series on American television to star a black woman in a non-stereotypical role. Later she created the role of Dominique Deveraux on the popular prime time soap opera, Dynasty. She is the recipient of numerous stage and screen awards and nominations. Carroll has been married four times and became the mother of a daughter in 1960. She is a breast cancer survivor and activist. Carroll was scheduled to return to the Broadway stage in the 2014 revival of A Raisin in the Sun as Mama, but withdrew prior to opening citing the demands of the rehearsal and performance schedule.

Carroll was born Carol Diahann Johnson in Bronx, New York, to John Johnson, of Aiken, South Carolina, and Mabel (Faulk), of Bladenboro, North Carolina. When Carroll was an infant, the family moved to Harlem, where she grew up. She attended Music & Art High School, and was a classmate of Billy Dee Williams. In many interviews about her childhood, Diahann Carroll recalls her parents’ support of her and that they enrolled her in dance, singing and modeling classes. By the time Diahann Carroll was 15, she was modeling for Ebony magazine. She stood 6 ft (1.8 m) and had a lean build. After graduating from high school, Diahann Carroll attended New York University, majoring in sociology.

At the age of 18, Carroll got her big break when she appeared as a contestant on the Dumont Television Network program, Chance of a Lifetime, hosted by Dennis James. On the show which aired January 8, 1954, Carroll took the $1,000 top prize for her rendition of the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein song, “Why Was I Born?” She went on to win the following four weeks. Engagements at Manhattan’s Café Society and Latin Quarter nightclubs soon followed.

Carroll’s film debut was a supporting role in Carmen Jones (1954) as a friend of the sultry lead character. That same year, she starred in the Broadway musical, House of Flowers. In 1959, she played Clara in the film version of George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, but her character’s singing parts were dubbed by opera singer Loulie Jean Norman. She made a guest appearance in the series Peter Gunn, in the 1960 episode “Sing a Song of Murder”. She starred with Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in the 1961 film Paris Blues. In 1962, she won the Tony Award for best actress (a first for a black woman) for the role of Barbara Woodruff in the Samuel A. Taylor and Richard Rodgers musical No Strings. In 1974, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for Claudine.

Carroll is known for her title role in the 1968 television series Julia, which made her the first African American actress to star in her own television series where she did not play a domestic worker. That role won her the Golden Globe Award for “Best Actress In A Television Series” in 1968, and a nomination for an Emmy Award in 1969, which TV Guide incorrectly claimed made her the first African-American to earn an Emmy nomination. Some of her earlier work included appearances on shows hosted by Jack Paar, Merv Griffin, Johnny Carson, Judy Garland and Ed Sullivan, and on The Hollywood Palace variety show.

In 1984, Carroll joined the nighttime soap opera Dynasty as the jetsetter Dominique Deveraux, half-sister of Blake Carrington. Her high profile role on Dynasty also reunited her with schoolmate Billy Dee Williams, who briefly played her onscreen husband Brady Lloyd. Carroll remained on the show until 1987, simultaneously making several appearances on its short-lived spin-off, The Colbys. She received her third Emmy nomination in 1989 for the recurring role of Marion Gilbert in A Different World. In 1991, Carrol played the role of Eleanor Potter, the wife of Jimmy Potter, portrayed by Chuck Patterson, in The Five Heartbeats, a musical drama film in which Jimmy manages a vocal group. In this role Carroll was a doting, concerned, and protective wife alongside actor and musician Robert Townsend, Leon Michael Wright, and others. In 1996, Carroll starred as the crazed silent movie star Norma Desmond in the Canadian production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical version of the classic film Sunset Boulevard.

In 2006, she appeared in the television medical drama Grey’s Anatomy as Jane Burke, the demanding mother of Dr. Preston Burke. In December 2008, Carroll was cast in USA Network’s series White Collar as June, the savvy widow who rents out her guest room to Neal Caffrey. In 2010, Carroll was featured in UniGlobe Entertainment’s breast cancer docudrama entitled, 1 a Minute, and appeared as Nana in two Lifetime Movies: At Risk and The Front, movie adaptations of two Patricia Cornwell novels.

Diahann Carroll was present on stage for the 2013 Emmy Awards, to briefly speak about her retrospective of being, supposedly, the first African-American, nominated for a Primetime Emmy Awards. She was quoted as saying “talented Kerry Washington, better win!” Washington erroneously stated that Carroll was the first black performer ever to be nominated for an Emmy. Actually, at least three black performers were nominated before Carroll, who was first nominated in 1963. These performers include: Ethel Waters for a guest appearance on Route 66, in 1962; Harry Belafonte, nominated in 1956 and 1961 and winning in 1960; and Sammy Davis, Jr., who was nominated in 1956 with Belafonte.

Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby, an African-American entertainer, author, educator, and businessperson, was born on this date in 1937.

William Henry Cosby, Jr., was born in Germantown, PA. He attended college on a football scholarship at Temple University. He received his master’s and doctorate in education, from the University of Massachusetts. He entered show business as a stand up comedian at the Gaslight Cafe, New York (1962), but his career took off with “I Spy,” (1965-1968). It was here that Cosby became the first African-American to star in a dramatic series on television. In 1965, Cosby married Camille Hanks; the couple has five children.

Cosby has amassed a global reputation through his diverse media using records, books, television, and film. He has affected society as a humanitarian. It is here that his humor connected with real life situations separates him from many of his peers. His television credits include: “I Spy,” “The Bill Cosby Show” (1969-1971), “The New Bill Cosby Show” (1972-1973), “The Cosby Show” (1984-1992), “You Bet Your Life” (1992-1993), and “Cosby” (1996-Present). His movies credits are: “To All My Friends On Shore” (1971) “Hickey & Boggs” (1972) “Man and Boy” (1972) “Uptown Saturday Night” (1974) “Let’s Do It Again” (1975) “Mother, Jugs & Speed” (1976) “A Piece of the Action” (1977) “California Suite” (1978) “Top Secret” (1978) “The Devil and Max Devlin” (1981) “Bill Cosby — Himself” (1982) “Leonard Part 6” (1987) “Ghost Dad” (1990) “The Meteor Man” (1993) “I Spy Returns” (1994)and “Jack” (1996).

He and his wife have donated $20 million to Spelman College. He owns an extensive collection of art by African-Americans. Cosby’s list of honors include four Emmy awards, eight Grammy awards, the NAACP Image Award, and induction into the the Hall of Fame of the Academy of TV Arts & Sciences.

As a civic activist he is president of the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame, a board member of Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation, a board member of United Negro College Fund, and a board member of Operation PUSH. Without question, the tragedy of his life was the death of his son, Ennis, who was shot to death in 1997 while changing a tire on a Los Angeles freeway.
Cosby had affair during the 1970’s with Shawn Upshaw, mother of Autumn Jackson, but insists he is not Jackson’s father; the 22-year-old was recently sentenced to 18 months in prison for trying to extort $40 million from Cosby by threatening to give her story to tabloids. He became very wealthy, and became a benefactor primarily to African American groups.

Bill Cosby remains one of the most visible African-Americans in the last 50 years. Recently, Cosby has taken significant milestones in African-American history to convey “tough love” for his community, a point of view that is controversial among the Black population. He says, “My biggest cry is for us to really reflect on who we are. Who are we in our manhood? Who are we in our responsibility to the black woman and the black child?”

In 2005, he released his newest book, “I Am What I Ate and I’m Frightened.” It offers a hip, humorous, hard-earned wisdom on the healthy lifestyle and the behavior behind it.

Evelyn “Champagne” King

Evelyn “Champagne” King (born July 1, 1960) is an American singer. She is best known for her hit disco single “Shame”, which was released in 1977 during the height of disco’s popularity. King had other hits from the early through the mid–1980s including; “I’m in Love” (1981) and “Love Come Down” (1982). Evelyn Champagne King

Evelyn King was born in the Bronx, New York, and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her uncle Avon Long had played the part of Sportin’ Life in the first Broadway revival of Porgy and Bess and worked with Lena Horne at the Cotton Club. Her father sang back-up for groups at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. Her mother managed a group called Quality Red.

She was discovered as a young woman while working with her mother at Philadelphia International Records as an office cleaner. Producer Theodore T. Life overheard her singing in a washroom and began coaching her. She was eventually signed to a production deal with Life’s Galaxy Productions and a recording contract with RCA Records.

King released her debut album, Smooth Talk, in 1977. It included the song “Shame”, which is her only top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #9; the song also reached #7 R&B and #8 on the dance chart. The record was eventually certified gold. Another single from that album, “I Don’t Know If It’s Right”, peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 R&B; it would become her second certified gold single. In 1981, the single “I’m in Love” was released from the same-titled album; it reached #1 on the R&B singles chart and dance chart in August of that year; it also peaked at #40 on the pop chart.

In 1982, King released the album, Get Loose. It yielded a top twenty pop and #1 R&B hit with the single, “Love Come Down”. The song also peaked at #1 on the dance chart and reached the UK Singles Chart top ten, peaking at #7 for three weeks. The follow-up, “Betcha She Don’t Love You”, peaked at #2 on the R&B chart and #49 on the pop chart. From the mid- to late-1980s, King would continue to chart on the R&B chart, placing eight singles in the R&B top twenty, with three making it to the top ten.

On September 20, 2004, King’s “Shame” became one of the first records to be inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in New York’s Spirit club.

On August 14, 2007, King released her first studio album in 12 years, Open Book. It featured the single “The Dance”, which peaked at #12 on the Hot Dance Club Play Chart.

In 2011, King also collaborated with deep house producer Miguel Migs, on the track “Everybody”, which was included on his album Outside the Skyline. The single for “Everybody” was released on July 19, 2011.

Mad Magazine

Remembering MAD Magazine:

Mad (stylized as MAD) is an American humor magazine founded in 1952 by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines, launched as a comic book before it became a magazine. It was widely imitated and influential, affecting satirical media, as well as the cultural landscape of the 20th century, with editor Al Feldstein increasing readership to more than two million during its 1974 circulation peak. From 1952 until 2018, Mad had published 550 regular issues, as well as hundreds of reprint “Specials”, original-material paperbacks, reprint compilation books and other print projects. The magazine’s numbering reverted back to 1 with its June 2018 issue.

The magazine is the last surviving title from the EC Comics line, offering satire on all aspects of life and popular culture, politics, entertainment, and public figures. Its format is divided into a number of recurring segments such as TV and movie parodies, as well as freeform articles. Mad’s mascot, Alfred E. Neuman, is typically the focal point of the magazine’s cover, with his face often replacing that of a celebrity or character who is lampooned within the issue.

Dawn Lewis

Dawnn J. Lewis (born August 13, 1961) is an American actress, singer, voice actress , and songwriter. Lewis is best known for her role as Jaleesa Vinson–Taylor on the NBC television sitcom A Different World from the series beginning in 1987 until the end of its fifth season in 1992, in addition to being on the show; Lewis co–wrote the theme song.

Lewis’s other notable roles include portraying Robin Dumars on the ABC sitcom Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper for its first season (1992–93) and as Cheryl Spade in the 1988 film I’m Gonna Git You Sucka. Since then, Lewis has appeared in numerous TV series, including other sitcoms, and has also performed on stage.

Dawnn Lewis was born in Brooklyn, New York City, to Carl and Joyce Lewis, who are of African-American and Guyanese descent, She began singing at the age of four and acting at eleven.

Lewis graduated at 16 from the High School of Music & Art in New York City, now known as Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School. Then she majored in musical theatre with a minor in journalism at the University of Miami, graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree, cum laude, in 1982.

Lewis appeared for the first five of the six-season run as Jaleesa Vinson (later Vinson–Taylor) from 1987 until 1992. Lewis co-wrote the theme song to A Different World, with Bill Cosby and Stu Gardner, and co-performed the song for the first season. In A Different World, Although her character was married to another of the main characters on the show, her character disappeared from A Different World without explanation, like Chuck Cunningham of Happy Days. Lewis appeared in a special week-long segment of A Different World called the Hillman College Reunion airing on Nick At Nite, along with Lisa Bonet, Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Darryl M. Bell, Cree Summer, and Sinbad. On her Super Password appearance in 1988, she was paired with Dallas star Ken Kercheval, not any of her co-stars.

In 2006, Lewis starred as Melba Early in the film adaptation of Dreamgirls. Lewis released her debut CD, entitled Worth Waiting For, in 2006. She most recently played Addaperle in The Wiz with New York City Center’s Encores! In 2009, Lewis played Denise Fields on One Tree Hill. In 2010, Lewis played a minor recurring role as Lauren’s mother in The Secret Life of the American Teenager. In 2012, she voiced Malora in Strange Frame. She also appeared as Dr. Knapp on Days of Our Lives in 2012–2013. As of 2015, Lewis is playing a recurring role on Major Crimes as Patrice, a love interest for Lt. Provenza, whom he met during a case. In that same year, she also voiced Ruby’s mother Helen Hanshaw in one episode of Sofia The First .

In March 2016, Lewis was cast in Disney Junior’s animated series Doc McStuffins as the voice of Grandma McStuffins. In 2017 she provided the voice of Maybelle Mundy in the film Bunyan and Babe.

In 2018 she began voicing Fannie Granger on DreamWorks’ Spirit Riding Free, and in 2019 began voicing The Chief on Netflix’s animated Carmen Sandiego.

Lewis was married to former NBA player Johnny Newman in 2004. They divorced in 2006.

Venus Williams

Venus Williams was born on this date in 1980. She is an African American tennis player and entrepreneur.

Born in Lynwood, California, Venus Ebone Starr Williams is the daughter of Richard Williams and Oracene Price and the older sister of Serena Williams. She turned professional tennis player on October 31, 1994. In that match in the second round of her first professional tournament in Oakland, Williams nearly upset the top seed Arantxa Sanchez andVicario before losing the match.

With career singles record of over 400 wins, almost 100 playing doubles, and over 40 combined titles, she is one of the best women tennis players in the world.

As a businesswoman, Williams is the CEO of her interior design firm, “V Starr Interiors,” located in Jupiter, Florida. Williams’ company garnered prominence by designing the set of the “Tavis Smiley Show” and the Olympic athletes apartments as a part of the U.S. bid package for New York to host the 2012 games. V Starr Interiors has also designed residences and businesses in the Palm Beach, Florida area.

Williams won her fourth Wimbledon title, ironically on the 50th anniversary of Althea Gibson becoming the first Black woman to win that tournament. The heavily favored Williams won, surprising finalist Marion Bartoli 6-4, 6-1 for her sixth Grand Slam title.

Tupac

Tupac Amaru Shakur born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac, Makaveli, and Pac, was an American rapper and actor. As of 2007, Shakur has sold over 75 million records worldwide. His double disc albums All Eyez on Me and his Greatest Hits are among the best-selling albums in the United States. He has been listed and ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time by many publications, including Rolling Stone, which ranked him 86th on its list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. He is consistently ranked as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. On April 7, 2017, Shakur was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Shakur began his career as a roadie, backup dancer, and MC for the alternative hip hop group Digital Underground, eventually branching off as a solo artist. Most of the themes in Shakur’s songs revolved around the violence and hardship in inner cities, racism, and other social problems. Both of his parents and several other people in his family were members of the Black Panther Party, whose ideals were reflected in his songs. During the latter part of his career, Shakur was a vocal participant during the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry, becoming involved in conflicts with other rappers, producers, and record-label staff members, most notably The Notorious B.I.G. and the label Bad Boy Records. Apart from his career in music, Shakur also acted in films and on TV. He starred in various films in the 1990s, including Poetic Justice (1993), Gang Related (1997) and Gridlock’d (1997).

On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot in a drive-by shooting at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was taken to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where he died from his injuries six days later.

Gabby Sidibe

Gabourey Sidibe, born May 6, 1983, is an American actress who made her acting debut in the 2009 film Precious, a role that brought her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. From 2010 to 2013, she was a main cast member of the Showtime series The Big C.

Sidibe co-starred on the television series American Horror Story: Coven as Queenie and American Horror Story: Freak Show as Regina Ross, and later reprised her role as Queenie in American Horror Story: Hotel. Since 2015, she stars in the Fox musical drama series Empire as Becky Williams.

Sidibe was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Harlem. Her mother, Alice Tan Ridley, is an American R&B and gospel singer who appeared on the fifth season of America’s Got Talent, on June 15, 2010. Her father, Ibnou Sidibe, is from Senegal and is a cab driver. Growing up, Sidibe lived with her aunt, the noted feminist activist Dorothy Pitman Hughes. She has attended Borough of Manhattan Community College, City College of New York, and graduated from Mercy College. She worked at The Fresh Air Fund’s office as a receptionist before she went on to pursue a career in acting.

In Precious, Sidibe played the main character, Claireece “Precious” Jones, a 16-year-old mother of two (both of whom are the results of being raped by her father) trying to escape abuse at the hands of her mother. The film won numerous awards, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award. On December 15, 2009, she was nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her performance in Precious. The next month she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Her next film, Yelling to the Sky, was a Sundance Lab project directed by Victoria Mahoney and starring Zoe Kravitz, in which she played Latonya Williams, a bully. In 2011, Sidibe was in the film Tower Heist and voiced a “party girl” character in “Hot Water”, the season 7 premiere of American Dad!. She appeared in the season 8 American Dad! episode “Stanny Tendergrass” early in 2013 and also stars in the music video for “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)” by indie pop band Foster the People. Sidibe also appeared in the Showtime network series entitled The Big C as Andrea Jackson.

During an interview, Sidibe reported that before landing her role in the 2009 film, Precious, Joan Cusack advised her that the entertainment industry was not for her and to quit, leaning over and stating: “Oh honey, you should really quit the business. It’s so image-conscious.”

In April 2013, it was announced that Sidibe would be joining the cast of the third season of American Horror Story, portraying Queenie, a young witch. She returned to the series for its fourth season, American Horror Story: Freak Show as a secretarial school student, Regina Ross. As of 2015, she stars in Lee Daniels Fox musical series Empire as Becky Williams alongside Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson. Sidibe portrays the head of A&R in the Empire company. In April 2015, it was announced Sidibe would be promoted to a series regular beginning in Season 2. She also starred in the Hulu series Difficult People as Denise.

On June 3, 2015 it was confirmed Sidibe would be writing her memoir and it would be published in 2017. On January 6, 2016, Sidibe appeared in the penultimate episode for American Horror Story: Hotel, reprising her Coven role as Queenie, marking her third season in the series.

In March 2017, Sidibe revealed that she has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and that as a consequence she underwent laproscopic bariatric surgery in an effort to manage her weight.

Prince

Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer and filmmaker.

Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7, 1958), known by his mononym Prince, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actor. He has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career.He has written several hundred songs and produces and records his own music for his own music label. In addition, he has promoted the careers of Sheila E., Carmen Electra, the Time and Vanity 6, and his songs have been recorded by these artists and others, including Chaka Khan, The Bangles, Sinéad O’Connor, and Kim Basinger.

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Prince developed an interest in music at an early age, writing his first song at age seven. After recording songs with his cousin’s band 94 East, seventeen-year-old Prince recorded several unsuccessful demo tapes before releasing his debut album, For You, in 1978. His 1979 album, Prince, went platinum due to the success of the singles “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?” and “I Wanna Be Your Lover”. His next three records, Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (1982) continued his success, showcasing Prince’s trademark of prominently sexual lyrics and incorporation of elements of funk, dance and rock music. In 1984, he began referring to his backup band as the Revolution and released the album Purple Rain, which served as the soundtrack to his film debut of the same name.

After releasing the albums Around the World in a Day (1985) and Parade (1986), The Revolution disbanded and Prince released the critically acclaimed double album Sign “O” the Times (1987) as a solo artist. He released three more solo albums before debuting the New Power Generation band in 1991. After changing his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol (Prince logo.svg), also known as the “Love Symbol”, in 1993, he began releasing new albums at a faster pace to remove himself from contractual obligations to Warner Bros; he released five records between 1994 and 1996 before signing to Arista Records in 1998. In 2000, he began referring to himself as “Prince” once again. He has released thirteen albums since then, including his latest, 20Ten, released in 2010.

Prince has a wide vocal range and is known for his flamboyant stage presence and costumes. He has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He has won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the first year he was eligible. Rolling Stone has ranked Prince No. 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Prince’s music has been influenced by rock, R&B, soul, funk, hip hop, blues, new wave, electronica, disco, psychedelia, folk, jazz, and pop. His artistic influences include Sly & the Family Stone, Parliament-Funkadelic, Joni Mitchell, the Beatles, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Miles Davis, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Led Zeppelin, Marvin Gaye, the Isley Brothers, Todd Rundgren Duke Ellington, Curtis Mayfield, and Stevie Wonder. Prince pioneered the “Minneapolis sound”, a hybrid mixture of funk, rock, pop, R&B and new wave that has influenced many other musicians.

In 1993, while in a contractual dispute with Warner Bros., he changed his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol (Logo. Hollow circle above downward arrow crossed with a curlicued horn-shaped symbol and then a short bar), also known as the “Love Symbol”, and began releasing new albums at a faster rate to remove himself from contractual obligations. He released five records between 1994 and 1996 before signing with Arista Records in 1998. In 2000, he began referring to himself as “Prince” again. He released 16 albums after that, including the platinum-selling Musicology (2004). His final album, Hit n Run Phase Two, was first released on the Tidal streaming service on December 2015. Five months later, at the age of 57, Prince died of an accidental fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park recording studio and home in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

When They See Us

When They See Usis a four part series based on a case that swept through America’s living rooms. On September 19, 1989 a woman by the name of Patricia Meili was attack in Central Park, located in New York City. The woman was attacked, dragged, beaten and rape. As a result of this crime, the victim was left hospitalized in critical condition with no memory of what had happened to her. The people of New York City wanted justice for the woman who had become known only as “The Central Park Jogger”. The people were outraged.

Prosecutors Linda Fairstein and Elizabeth Lederer headed the investigation of this heinous crime that took the city by storm. Somebody needed to pay for what had happened to this woman. The prosecutor’s office along with the NYPD looked to gather leads to close this case that had gained so much media and political attention. They would stop at no end, even if it took for them to arrest innocent people for crimes that they did not commit.

Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Yusef Salaam and Korey Wise were just adolescents at the time that the crime occurred. As the saying goes “boys will be boys”, these boys happened to be in Central Park on the evening that all of the “wilding” had taken place. As a result, the police rounded up the adolescents and took them into custody at a precinct in Harlem. These young men were interrogated for a two day span with no parental consent. They were not given any food and coerced into making statements implicating themselves and the others as part of the attack that left a woman in a coma for twelve days.

The movie When They See Ustold the story of the way that these boys suffered as a result of the crime that they were wrongly convicted of. The criminal justice system served these young men a serious injustice. At the time of the trial Kevin Richardson and Raymond Santana were only fourteen years old, Antron McCray and Yusef Salaam were fifteen years old. The oldest of the quintet, Korey Wise was just sixteen years old. The quartet that were under the age of sixteen years old were imposed sentences of five to ten years in juvenile correctional facilities. Korey Wise was charged as an adult and was sentenced to five to fifteen years in a maximum state penitentiary where he served twelve years.

In 2002 Matias Reyes confessed to acting alone in the rape and brutal assault of the Patricia Meili. During the time of the confession Reyes was incarcerated for four different rape homicide cases in New York City. By the time of his confession Reyes could not be charged for the crime because the statute of limitations had already expired. It was this confession that exonerated those innocent men after years of suffering. During the incarceration the men known as the Central Park Five had to endure many trials and tribulations that no amount of money can compensate for. These men needlessly suffered mental, physical, emotional and psychological abuse. The system failed them. The sickening part is that there are so many more innocent men and women formerly and currently incarcerated for crimes that they did not commit.

Written by

Regina Annette