Few DNC speakers embodied that “We won’t go back” like the Exonerated Five, saying Donald TrumpDonald Trump hasn’t changed since he called for their modern-day lynching as teens. “He wanted us dead,” Yusef Salaam said during their speech.
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On Thursday, Rev. Al Sharpton took the stage to introduce the men during the final night of the Democratic National Convention. The National Action Network founder clarified that his organization does not endorse political candidates, but it does report where they stand on serious issues. According to the New York Times, he spoke about collaborating with Vice President Kamala Harris to unite the country after watching 40 years of Trump’s shady shenanigans.
“I’ve worked with Kamala Harris. In every job she had she has consistently committed to making government work for those who have been disadvantaged. All Donald Trump has been consistent about is making himself richer and sowing division to make that happen,” Sharpton said.
“I see a candidate that sought to reform and uphold the law and a man who wrongly assumes that his mugshot appeals to Black Americans,” he continued with the comparison.
The Exonerated Five Speak Out About The Danger Of Re-Electing Donald Trump
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Sharpton recalled the one time Trump took a stance on racial issues. Trump used his wealth to not only add to the injustice and hatred against the teens called the Central Park Five but also urged New York State to “bring back the death penalty.” Except for Antron McCray, the Exonerated Five — Kevin Richardson, Dr. Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise and Raymond Santana — took the stage to remind the world of Trump’s true colors.
“Thirty-five years ago, my friends and I were imprisoned for a crime we did not commit. Our youth was stolen from us. Every day, as we walked into the courtroom, people screamed at us, threatened us because of Donald Trump,” Wise explained.
“He spent $85,000 on a full-page ad in the New York Times calling for our execution. We were innocent kids, but we served a total of 41 years in prison,” Wise added about the wrongful convictions overturned in 2002.
When asked about the ads asking New York to reinstate the death penalty in 2019, Trump refused to admit he was wrong about the wrongfully convicted men he villainized. As of 2019, the presidential nominee currently facing a RICO case after a 34-count felony conviction still refuses to apologize. “You’ve got people on both sides of that,” he said, echoing his cop-out about the 2017 Charlottesville white nationalist rally that resulted in the death of protestor Heather Heyer.
“Forty-five wanted us unlived; he wanted us dead. Today we are exonerated because the actual perpetrator confessed and DNA proved it. That guy says he still stands by the original guilty verdict. He dismisses the scientific evidence rather than admit he was wrong,” NYC City Councilman Salaam said about Trump taking even less accountability than the actual perpetrator of the 1989 rape.
“He has never changed. And he never will. That man thinks that hate is the animating force in America. It is not. We have the constitutional right to vote. In fact, it is a human right. So let us use it,” Salaam said. “When they see us, America will finally say goodbye to that hateful man.”
Watch the full speeches from Rev. Al Sharpton and the Exonerated Five at the DNC below.
Social Media Shows Love To The Exonerated Five At The DNC
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The full-circle moment with Rev. Al Sharpton set social media ablaze. This reminder of Trump’s bloodthirsty abuse of power and privilege seemed to even get through to those joking that his mugshot and felony conviction automatically made him relatable to Black people.
Between this tragic case and D.L. Hughley‘s apology for repeating misinformation about Kamala Harris without research, it’s clear who actually benefits from perpetuating “fake news” and who suffers because of it.
