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Media Advisory: Central Park Five highlight Virginia Tech’s MLK keynote event

As part of Virginia Tech’s week-long commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the university will present a keynote discussion with the Central Park Five. The group was the focus of a highly publicized trial in the Central Park jogger case in New York City leading to their conviction and imprisonment as teenagers in 1990, and subsequent exoneration in 2002.

21 Jan 2020

Image of Martin Luther King, Jr. on screen at Virginia Tech campus event — As part of Virginia Tech’s week-long commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the university will present a keynote discussion with the Central Park Five.

What: As part of Virginia Tech’s week-long commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the university will present a keynote discussion with the Central Park Five. The group was the focus of a highly publicized trial in the Central Park jogger case in New York City leading to their conviction and imprisonment as teenagers in 1990, and subsequent exoneration in 2002.

When/Where: 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 22, 2020 in the Anne And Ellen Fife Theatre at the Moss Arts Center, 190 Alumni Mall on the Virginia Tech campus. Because the event is sold out, seating for a live streamed presentation will be available at Haymarket Theatre in Squires Student Center, 290 College Avenue.

Additional details: The panel discussion will feature Korey Wise, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, and Yusef Salaam. Their story gained new attention in a Netflix series “When They See Us,” which was released last year. The men have come to be known as the “Exonerated Five.” The discussion will be moderated by Brandy Faulkner, the Gloria Smith Professor of Africana Studies and a member of the faculty of Virginia Tech’s Department of Political Science.

RSVP: Media outlets planning to attend are encouraged to RSVP to Bill Foy in the Virginia Tech media relations office. Email: fwill55@vt.edu; or 540-998-0288. Hallema Sharif from the Virginia Tech Office for Inclusion and Diversity will be the onsite contact for media (718-685-4001).

Parking: Public parking is available at either the Perry Street or North End Center parking garages, located here.

Additional events and more details on all of the celebrations can be found on the Cultural and Community Centers website.