Yusef Salaam: Biography
Yusef Salaam is an American Democratic politician, activist, and author who has served on the New York City Council representing Harlem's 9th District since January 2024. One of the Exonerated Five, formerly known as the Central Park Five, he was wrongfully convicted at age 15 in the 1989 Central Park jogger case and served nearly seven years in prison before his conviction was vacated in 2002.
His journey from wrongful imprisonment to elected office is among the most extraordinary in New York political history. This biography covers his origins, his wrongful conviction and exoneration, his post-exoneration career, and his rise to the Council, with citations to primary or strong secondary sources.
Early life
Yusef Salaam was born in 1974 in New York City 1.
Yusef Salaam was born in 1974 in New York City 1. He was raised in a Muslim household by his mother, Sharonne Salaam, and his grandmother, who emphasized faith and spirituality 1. His mother exposed him and his siblings to books and different cultures from an early age 1. He grew up in Harlem, the community that would later become his political base.
The wrongful conviction
On April 19, 1989, a woman jogging in Central Park was assaulted and raped 1.
On April 19, 1989, a woman jogging in Central Park was assaulted and raped 1. Authorities accused Salaam, then 15, along with Korey Wise, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, and Raymond Santana, five Black and Latino teenagers, of the attack 1,2. The case generated intense media coverage and public outrage. Donald Trump purchased full-page newspaper advertisements calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty 3. All five were convicted in 1990 despite the absence of physical evidence linking them to the crime; the teenagers later said their confessions were coerced through beatings and deprivation of food, drink, and sleep 1,4. Salaam served nearly seven years in juvenile detention and prison before his release in 1997 1,2.
Exoneration
In 2002, Matias Reyes came forward to confess that he alone had committed the assault; DNA evidence confirmed his confession 1.
In 2002, Matias Reyes came forward to confess that he alone had committed the assault; DNA evidence confirmed his confession 1. The convictions of all five men were vacated 1. In 2014, New York City paid $41 million to settle a civil-rights lawsuit brought by the Exonerated Five 1. The case is widely regarded as one of the most significant wrongful-conviction cases in American history.
Post-exoneration career
After his exoneration, Salaam became a motivational speaker, activist, and author, dedicating his life to criminal-justice reform and speaking about his experience across the country and internationally 2,5.
After his exoneration, Salaam became a motivational speaker, activist, and author, dedicating his life to criminal-justice reform and speaking about his experience across the country and internationally 2,5. He authored the memoir Better, Not Bitter and co-authored the young-adult novel Punching the Air 2. The Exonerated Five's story was told in the Ken Burns documentary The Central Park Five and the Emmy-winning Netflix series When They See Us, directed by Ava DuVernay 2. Salaam received an Honorary Doctorate in 2014 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama in 2016 2. He has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, FOX, and other outlets 2.
Personal life
Salaam is a practicing Muslim whose faith, deepened during his imprisonment, has been central to his life and public identity 1.
Salaam is a practicing Muslim whose faith, deepened during his imprisonment, has been central to his life and public identity 1. He has ten children, three of whom are stepchildren 1. He moved back to New York City from Georgia in 2022 ahead of his Council campaign 1. He lives in Harlem. Net worth was not reliably established in the research underlying this piece.
Election to the City Council
In February 2023, Salaam announced his candidacy for the 9th City Council District, representing central Harlem 1.
In February 2023, Salaam announced his candidacy for the 9th City Council District, representing central Harlem 1. He won the July 2023 Democratic primary in a landslide, defeating Assembly Members Inez Dickens and Al Taylor, endorsed by Cornel West among others 1,3. He ran unopposed in the general election and took office in January 2024, succeeding Council Member Kristin Richardson Jordan 1. He was re-elected in November 2025 1. His campaigns are detailed in the campaigns section of this series.
On the Council
Salaam has focused on poverty, housing justice, gentrification, and criminal-justice reform in Harlem, drawing on his personal experience as a symbol of the justice system's failures 3,4.
Salaam has focused on poverty, housing justice, gentrification, and criminal-justice reform in Harlem, drawing on his personal experience as a symbol of the justice system's failures 3,4. His Council work and policy positions are detailed in the legislative and policy sections of this series.
Place in New York politics
Yusef Salaam's biography is among the most extraordinary in American political history: A teenager wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, exonerated by DNA evidence, and, decades later, elected to represent the community that supported him through his ordeal.
Yusef Salaam's biography is among the most extraordinary in American political history: A teenager wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, exonerated by DNA evidence, and, decades later, elected to represent the community that supported him through his ordeal. His journey from Central Park Five to City Council member embodies both the failures of the criminal-justice system and the possibility of redemption through civic engagement, as explored across the other sections of this series.