Former boxer, renowned writer and human rights activist Dr. Rubin "Hurricane" Carter will be the featured speaker at the 2008 Sonoma State Commencement. Carter will speak at two separate graduation ceremonies on Saturday, May 24 at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on the Commencement Lawn.
Carter is a former boxer, writer, human rights activist and Doctor of Laws. He is also and CEO & Founder of Innocence International, a new generation of wrongful conviction services.
The life of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter has taken many twists, from obscurity to acclaim and back again. His boxing career began in 1961, and his fast and furious style made him a crowd favorite.
Five years later, while preparing for a World Championship fight, Carter was arrested for a triple murder. Although steadfastly maintaining his innocence, he was convicted and sentenced to three life terms, narrowly escaping the electric chair.
In 1974, upon the publication of his autobiography and the recantations of the state's two key witnesses (criminals who admitted they had lied at the trial), Carter's case attracted international attention.
He became a civil-rights cause celebrity and was immortalized in the Bob Dylan song "Hurricane." A new trial ensued, but the injustice was repeated. However, he never gave up, and in February 1988, the 22-year-old indictment was finally
dismissed.
Carter has spoken with former President Clinton on issues related to the death penalty, addressed the General Assembly at the United Nations, and has spoken alongside President Nelson Mandela.
His story was depicted in the critically-acclaimed film "The Hurricane" starring Denzel Washington. He holds two honorary doctorates from the University of Toronto and Griffith University.
Carter frequently lectures at bar associations, universities, law schools, high schools and libraries in the United States, Canada, and throughout the world on such diverse issues as literacy and education, wrongful convictions, habeas corpus, and the death penalty.
For more information, contact Daniel Kelly, Associated Student Productions, (707) 664-4129.
