Rubin Carter

Rubin Carter has lived an epic life: boxer, prisoner, writer. He became a middleweight prizefighter, and from 1961 to 1966 he was never knocked out. In 1966, Carter and John Artis were accused and convicted of a triple murder. Though Carter and Artis have always maintained their innocence, Carter spent almost twenty years in prison for the crime. Carter’s case became a cause célèbre after Bob Dylan wrote the song “Hurricane,” proclaiming Carter’s innocence. In November 1985, Carter was released from prison by a federal judge who found a “pattern of prejudice and racism” at the core of his previous trials. Carter is executive director of the International Association in Defense of the Wrongly Convicted. The book The Hurricane: The Miraculous Journey of Rubin Carter was the inspiration for the feature film The Hurricane starring Denzel Washington.

— From August 2003