The Story of Raymond Santana of the Central Park Five

Raymond Santana’s story is an example to teens of the power of hope and resilience—and the importance of fighting injustice to stand up for what’s right. When Raymond Santana was just 14, he was accused of a crime he didn’t commit. The 1989 rape of a jogger in Central Park was pinned on Santana and four other young teens, a tragedy that would change their lives forever. In this powerful illustrated memoir, Raymond Santana takes readers on a journey from his move to Harlem, to his arrest and trial, and from his time in Pr*son to his ongoing fight for justice. Exonerated in 2002, Santana has made it his mission to fight wrongful convictions and injustice. What has sustained him and given him the strength for that fight, is his creativity—art and fashion have always been a refuge and a source of hope. Teaming up with celebrated artist Keith Henry Brown, Raymond Santana shows in vivid color how one can survive by pushing a message of hope.

Books will be available for sale and signing from Charis Books & More.

Raymond Santana is an author, designer, and activist. He currently travels around the country telling his story of hope and overcoming obstacles as he continues to fight against the inequities of the American justice system. Santana also owns the clothing company Park Madison NYC (ParkMadisonNYC.com), named after his hometown of New York.

Moderator Carl Suddler is an associate professor of history at Emory University. His publications, teaching, and public scholarship have placed him among a small number of African American scholars who study the intersections of Black life, crime, and sports since the late nineteenth century. Suddler’s first book, Presumed Criminal: Black Youth and the Justice System in Postwar New York, is widely used in college and graduate classrooms across the country.

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