UPDATED: Sept. 9, 2019 at 4:19 p.m.

Syracuse University community members welcomed a teary-eyed Kevin Richardson to a reception at the Community Folk Art Center on Sunday night.

Richardson was honored at a benefit reception for the Our Time Has Come Scholarship at SU, which supports underrepresented students. At the reception, SU announced the Kevin Richardson Fund, which will be part of the Our Time Has Come program.

This weekend, Richardson was able to step foot on the campus he dreamed of attending as a kid.

“It’s surreal,” Richardson said moments before he was honored. “Just being here and being 44 and having that dream at (age) 14, and now I’m here. It’s mind-blowing.”

In 1989, Richardson and four other black and Latino teenagers — Korey Wise, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, and Yusef Salaam — were falsely accused and arrested for the rape of a woman jogging in Central Park. Richardson was 14 years old at the time of his wrongful conviction. It wasn’t until 2002, when the real perpetrator admitted to the crime, that the “Central Park Five” were exonerated. Now they’re known as The Exonerated Five.

“My mother always told me that one day the truth will come out,” Richardson said in a speech. “I am so thrilled that she is alive to be able to see it.”

Richardson expressed his interest in SU in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that was released in June. He was always a fan of SU basketball and dreamed of playing the trumpet in the university’s marching band.

After seeing the Oprah interview, SU political science major senior Jalen Nash started an online petition calling on the university to give Richardson an honorary degree. The petition has gained nearly 6,000 signatures, but the university has not indicated whether he will receive a degree. The process to get an honorary degree can take several months or up to a few years.

Richardson received a Yamaha trumpet during the benefit reception. Michael Collier | Contributing Photographer

Students, faculty and community members gathered over hors d’oeurves  and drinks at the CFAC to honor Richardson by presenting him with several tokens of appreciation. This event was held in partnership with SU’s Office of Multicultural Advancement; Rachel Vassel, assistant vice president of the office, organized and hosted the reception.

Vassel introduced several guests who then gave Richardson gifts to welcome him to the SU family. He received a customized “44” SU basketball jersey, a Yamaha trumpet and an award from the 2019-20 recipients of the Our Time Has Come scholarship.

Alumna Tara Favors, Class of 1995, also pledged $25,000 to a new scholarship in Richardson’s name.

“I don’t take anything for granted. I want to continue this legacy for years to come,” Richardson said in his speech. “If I’m not around, my name will still be here. My time has come.”

Tanisha Jackson, CFAC’s executive director and an SU professor, said she is proud to have been able to bring the Syracuse community together to host Richardson.

Through all of the recognition he has been receiving, Richardson said it is rewarding to have younger generations know his story. He also said that, while the emotional journey is a day-by-day process, he has found solace in all the attention he has been receiving and called it a “therapeutic process.”

Richardson will be meeting with College of Visual and Performing Arts’ students on Monday at Shaffer Art Building to have lunch with the 2019-2020 Our Time Has Come scholars. On Monday night, he will lead a discussion on justice in the United States and his exoneration.

Richardson said in an interview after the reception that his advice to black and brown youth when it comes to persevering through hardships is to never give up.

“Never give up on your dreams and aspirations,” he said. “Keep pushing forward in life. There’s always light at the end of the tunnel.”

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, the details of the original alleged event were misstated. The five teenagers were arrested for the rape of a woman jogging in Central Park. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on September 9, 2019 at 12:07 am