Page 22 - Florida Sentinel 9-14-18

National News
Wrongfully Imprisoned, Man Says Learning To Read Saved Him
JOHN BUNN
The first book John Bunn fell in love with, curled up in his cell at a maximum- security prison in upstate New York, was Sister Souljah‘s novel, “The Coldest Winter Ever.”
Bunn knows more than most what it’s like to face in- justice. Arrested and impris- oned as an adolescent in New York City, he spent 17 years in jail for a crime he didn’t com- mit and a further decade on parole, fighting for his exoner- ation. He and a co-defendant were charged with murder and given a life sentence.
In that time, he battled, among others, the courts, po- lice investigators, PTSD and the challenges of illiteracy. He was 16 before he could read and write.
Today Bunn is 41 and a free man at last, mentoring at- risk young people and advo- cating for the power of reading through his own program that brings books to prisons.
In many ways, his own story sounds straight out of a Sister Souljah book. Except that Bunn survived years of wrongful incarceration with his humanity intact.
After being found guilty and sentenced to life, Bunn was immediately taken to a youth facility upstate.
Determined to be able to write letters to his mom, Bunn started with dictionar- ies and children’s books, working with teachers on how to sound words out, letter by letter. It was humbling at first, but he learned fast. And as he got the hang of it, he says, “it did something for my self-es- teem, and my imagination.”
In 2006, Bunn saved a prison counselor from being violently assaulted and raped by another inmate. His heroic actions were a factor in the pa- role board’s decision to re- lease him that year.
But out on parole, Bunn
struggled. With his criminal record as a convicted mur- derer, he couldn’t get a job. He was diagnosed with PTSD and was granted social security and disability. Then, in 2008, after struggling with depres- sion, he failed to report for a parole meeting and was sent back to jail. He returned to prison for another year and released in 2009.
But Bunn was about to get some long-awaited good news. In 2010, the Exoneration Ini- tiative, a nonprofit organiza- tion that provides free legal assistance to the wrongfully convicted in New York, began looking at the cases of those wrongfully convicted.
In April 2014 came a breakthrough. A new motion was filed by Rosean Har- grave’s legal team to vacate the charges.
ShawnDya
overturned Rosean Hargrave’s (his co- defendant) convictions and ordered a new trial. After 24 years in prison, Hargrave was released on bond, pend-
ing retrial.
A year later, after a similar
motion was filed on John Bunn’s behalf by the Exoner- ation Initiative, his own day in court came.
In May of 2018, after 27 years of wrongful conviction, the District Attorney’s office announced they would not retry Rosean Hargrave or John Bunn. They became the 12th and 13th men to be exonerated of convictions re- lated to investigations by De- tective Louis Scarcella.
Bunn’s project began as a book drive aimed at refurbish- ing the libraries at Rikers Is- land and providing under-resourced communities with educational literature. So far, he’s donated over 20,000 books to help others affected by illiteracy and incarceration.
Judge Simpson
‘Miss New York’ Crowned ‘Miss America 2019’
Cara Mund, “Miss America 2018” is shown crowning Nia Franklin.
Representing New York, Nia Franklin was recently crowned the 92nd Miss America in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Miss Connecti- cut, Bridget Oei, was named first runner-up.
"It took a lot of perseverance to get here," Franklin, 24, said after her win. "I want to thank my beautiful family, my mom and my dad, who is a survivor of cancer."
An opera singer, Franklin is a native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She earned her master's degree in music composition from UNC School of the Arts. She moved to New York after being accepted at the Kenan Fellow program at Lincoln Center Education in Manhattan.
During the competition, Franklin de- scribed how music helped her find her iden- tity.
"I grew up at a predominately Caucasian school and there was only five percent minor- ity, and I felt out of place so much because of the color of my skin," Franklin said. "But growing up, I found my love of arts, and through music that helped me to feel positive about myself and about who I was."
She said she plans to advocate for the arts during her tenure as Miss America.
NIA FRANKLIN ‘MISS AMERICA 2019’
The organization recently changed its name to Miss America 2.0. Under new lead- ership, the swimsuit competition was also eliminated. The emphasis was on the contest- ants' ability to answer questions and they were judged based on their passion, intelli- gence and overall understanding of the role of Miss America.
Franklin said she had a lot of fun being in the competition since there was less pres- sure put on the candidates' physical appear- ance.
"It was about what you have in your mind and in your heart. I'm a part of history.
"Miss America started off as a swimsuit competition, but I think it's important that we're evolving and I'm so excited to be a part of the new era."
"I'm the first Miss America 2.0 and I really want to do the most that I can this year to re- ally have a firm foundation going forward," Franklin said.
"Dancing with the Stars" judge Car- rie Ann Inaba hosted the pageant. Judges included Laila Ali, Bobby Bones, Randy Jackson, Jessie James Decker, Soledad O'Brien, Alli Webb and Carnie Wilson.
PAGE 10-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2018