Salaam was just 15 years old when he and four other teenagers of color were accused of raping and beating a 28-year-old jogger in Central Park. The young men were tried and wrongfully convicted as adults in New York. They served between six and 13 years of their lives behind bars before their sentences were overturned after another man confessed to the crime in 2002, which was confirmed by DNA evidence.

Salaam and other members of the “Central Park Five” — now known as the “Exonerated Five” — shared their story with documentarian Ken Burns in 2012. In 2014, they received a multi-million dollar settlement from the city of New York for their wrongful imprisonment.

Since his exoneration, Salaam, who served more than six years in prison, has committed himself to educating people on issues such as false confessions, police brutality and misconduct, press ethics and bias, and the disparities in America’s criminal justice system.

He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama in 2016 as well as an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Anointed by God Ministries Alliance and Seminary in 2014, among other honors.