Lesra Martin was the special guest speaker at the John Howard Society of the Lower Mainland of BC, 78th Annual General Meeting, held on September 20, 2007.
Over 20 years ago, Lesra Martin was a poor, illiterate teenager, who was struggling to survive on the mean streets of Bushwick, New York - an economically depressed borough of Brooklyn. A chance encounter with a group of Canadian law students changed the course of Lesra's life.
Lesra, given a fresh start in Toronto, learned to read, went to law school, and became a hero, when he helped overturn the wrongful conviction of his idol, boxing legend, Rubin 'The Hurricane' Carter.
Lesra's story was featured in the Oscar nominated film, 'The Hurricane' starring Denzel Washington. In addition, Lesra's story was the subject of a best-selling book entitled 'Lazarus and the Hurricane', and a National Film Board of Canada documentary entitled 'The Journey of Lesra Martin'.
Lesra Martin has been a guest of the Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live.
The John Howard Society of the Lower Mainland recently became an advisor to the University of British Columbia's Innocence Project. The mission of the Innocence Project is to investigate and identify cases of wrongful conviction and assist in the securing of the release of individuals who have been wrongfully convicted.
Lesra's message of hope and courage was inspirational to our staff, volunteers and members as it underlined the restorative justice principles that define and drive our organization.