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Syracuse University to give honorary degree to wrongfully convicted member of ‘Central Park Five’ - syracuse.com

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Syracuse, N.Y. – Syracuse University will give an honorary undergraduate degree to Kevin Richardson, a man wrongfully convicted with four other teens in the 1989 rape of a woman jogging in New York City’s Central Park.

The story of Richardson and the other teens known as the “Central Park Five” received a lot of attention last year after Netflix released a miniseries, “When They See Us,” about the case. Richardson said in an interview he dreamed of going to SU as a music student before he was jailed at age 14. He wanted to play the trumpet in SU’s marching band. Richardson served more than five years in prison. SU students started a petition last year to give an honorary degree to Richardson.

SU announced it will award an honorary bachelor of arts in fine music to Richardson at its next commencement ceremony.

Honorary degrees are usually awarded at the doctorate level. But when SU contacted Richardson about receiving an honorary degree, he specifically asked for the bachelor’s degree he hoped to earn before he was jailed for crimes he did not commit. His will be the first honorary undergraduate degree issued by SU.

“This means the world to me from all the trials and tribulations I’ve been through,” Richardson said in a video on SU’s website.

Richardson visited Syracuse University for the first time in September, 2019 and was honored with the creation of a scholarship in his name which is awarded with a preference for supporting Black and Hispanic students with unmet financial need.

“Despite his personal experience of injustice, Kevin Richardson has persevered and sought to make a positive difference,” Keith A. Alford, SU’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, said in a statement on SU’s website. “He has elevated the cause of social justice each step of the way.”

James T. Mulder covers health and higher education. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com

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Syracuse University to give honorary degree to wrongfully convicted member of ‘Central Park Five’ - syracuse.com
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