John,

In 1991, Gerry Thomas was wrongfully convicted of the assault and attempted murder of a woman, who had been attacked in her car by a stranger with a knife in Detroit.

He spent nearly 30 years in prison for a crime he hadn’t committed, before he was finally exonerated in 2020. This past Friday he celebrated three years of being free. Gerry has said that while he always tried to keep his heart open and hold love for everyone, at times he struggled to stay hopeful.

During those dark moments, he turned to what he called his “strength box” — a cassette tape player. For many years, he listened to old tapes of Aretha Franklin and gospel singers like Shirley Caesar to bolster his resilience. When the prison began allowing tablets, he was able to expand his collection of recordings to include a figure who had long inspired him: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, please take a moment to read more about Gerry’s story and how Dr. King gave him hope through decades of wrongful conviction.

Gerry said that he frequently listened to recordings of Dr. King before bed, sometimes falling asleep to the sound of his voice. “It gave me strength and hope that I was going to make it out of that situation. His messages were strength for me because I’d seen what he had struggled through,” he said, referring to Dr. King’s own experience of being unjustly incarcerated.

“I grew up through those days with Martin Luther King, Jr.,” Gerry said. He was a child when Dr. King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, and was only 11 years old when the iconic civil rights leader was assassinated, but to this day, he still finds inspiration in his words.

“The stuff he talked about is still happening today, even though that person is long gone.”

Please, in honor of Dr. King today, take a moment to read more about Gerry’s connection to his powerful words and then share the story with your friends online.

With gratitude,

The Innocence Project Team


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The Innocence Project works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone. Founded in 1992 by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, the organization is now an independent nonprofit. Our work is guided by science and grounded in antiracism.

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