Yusef Salaam—The Journey From Prison to a Seat in Government

By Steve Halpern

The other day I read a story in the Inquirer about Yusef Salaam. Salaam was one of the Central Park Five. In 1989, when he was fifteen years old, the New York City Police and District Attorney’s office worked diligently to frame him and four of his friends on charges of rape. After serving seven years in prison, the city of New York agreed to pay the Central Park Five $41 million in compensation. 

Former President Donald Trump paid about $80,000 for adds titled “Bring Back the Death Penalty” arguing that the Central Park Five should have been executed. Even after a court found the Central Park Five to be innocent, Trump continued to argue that they were guilty.

Today Yusef Salaam is slated to become a City Council member representing the borough of Harlem in New York City. This is what he had to say about his life.

“To have a voice from a person who’s been pushed into the margins of life—someone who has actually been one of those who has been counted out—is finally having a seat at the table.”

In this country it is rare to see someone who has served time in prison turn around to become a member of government. However, when we look at the world, masses of people view prison sentences as a badge of honor that makes a person worthy of a position in government. There is a long list of people who fall into that category.

One of the most famous was Nelson Mandela who served 27 years in prison and broke rocks in a limestone quarry. Then he was released from prison to become the President of South Africa.

There was Hugo Blanco who served several years in prison for organizing peasants in Peru so they might have better lives. Blanco became a government minister and might have become President of Peru.

There was José Mujica who spent several years in prison in Uruguay before being elected to the Presidency of that nation.

There was Luiz Ignácio Lula da Silva known as “Lula”, and Dilma Rousseff, known as Dilma, who both served time in Brazilian prisons. They were both elected to become Presidents of Brazil.

There was Fidel Castro and Raul Castro who both served time in prison and became Presidents of Cuba.   

What does this history tell us? Many people in the world view the regimes they live under as highly repressive. So, when people run for office who want to change the system, a prison sentence isn’t something to be ashamed of, but a badge of honor.