The legacy of a civil rights leader. 

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John,

For nearly 30 years, Gerry Thomas was wrongfully convicted and incarcerated in Michigan. And though he describes himself as a person with an open heart and love for all, at times it was hard to stay hopeful.

During those moments, Gerry turned to what he called his “strength box” — his cassette player and collection of recordings, including Aretha Franklin, gospel singers Shirley Caesar and Mahalia Jackson, and Martin Luther King, Jr.


** "It gave me strength and hope that I was going to make it."
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Gerry Thomas
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivering his timeless "I Have a Dream" address at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1964. Photo by 2003 AFP.
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“That gave me inspiration and power to move forward. I could walk eight miles after listening to them,” he said, recalling his long walks around the prison track.

Today, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, marks exactly one week since Gerry’s exoneration. And while people across the U.S. are commemorating Dr. King’s many achievements in advancing the civil rights movement, the day holds additional significance for Gerry.

While in prison, Gerry frequently listened to recordings of Dr. King’s speeches before bed, even letting himself fall asleep to the sound of his voice.

“What that did was 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 with being unjustly incarcerated.
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Dr. King's mugshot from the Birmingham, Alabama police station in 1963. Photo from the Birmingham Police Department.
Gerry said the civil rights icon continues to inspire him as a free person, and that his words are still relevant today, long after his assassination.

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, join us in remembering Dr. King's timeless legacy by sharing Gerry’s story on Facebook ([link removed]) and Twitter ([link removed]) .
— The Innocence Project team

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Started in 1992 as a legal clinic at Cardozo School of Law, the Innocence Project is now an independent nonprofit, affiliated with Cardozo, that exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.
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