When Are Black Boys Allowed to be Boys? The Cast of When They See Us Says There’s Still Work to Do – The Root

I’m asking myself what do I look like? Do I look like a criminal? — Jharrel Jerome

What do you see when you look at black boys?

Perhaps you see a brother, a son or a nephew. Conversely, you might see a deep thinker, a creative, a leader or even our future.

But for Korey Wise, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray and Kevin Richardson, this basic humanity was denied. The year was 1989, and the five boys were robbed of their innocence—they were denied any semblance of empathy. Five black and brown boys became the “Central Park Five.”

See the entire interview above.

All four parts of When They See Us debuts on Netflix, May 31.

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