Bringing the Innocence Project to Fieldston

I began organizing the May 29th event for the Innocence Project at Fieldston today. I had invited Gary Benloss, who was wrongly imprisoned for murder, and Jason Flom, a founding Innocence Project board member, to come and speak, and there was a lot to do, from ordering pizzas to getting tech support for the slideshow to reserving a space for the speakers. I also emailed back and forth with numerous people to make this event happen, including the advisor of the club I founded, the Innocence Project Advocacy Club.

I ended up inviting the entire upper school, and I really hope that many people can attend. The Innocence Project is personal to me—my uncle is currently incarcerated, which has sparked my interest in equity of all kinds. As well as fighting for those who are wrongfully convicted, I want to correct conditions for those who are suffering within America’s corrupt prison system. My hope is that this event inspires my peers to spread the message of how powerful one man’s story can be, as well as of how many other stories there are out there that have yet to have a happy ending.