On Monday, March 16th Mamaroneck High School welcomed educator and author Anthony Ray Hinton. After spending thirty years on Alabama’s death row for a crime he did not commit, Hinton made it his life’s purpose to shed light on America’s failing justice system. The upperclassmen who were able to bear witness to Hinton’s impactful presentation were touched. Many students were spotted shedding tears at his story.
Hinton’s visit was made possible by MHS senior Ethan Ferguson. Ferguson was inspired to bring a speaker in after reading Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy in Advanced Placement English Language and Composition (AP Lang). The objective: “change people’s perspectives” and expose the “wrongdoings happening in the prison system.” Ferguson concluded that he should speak to Stevenson’s law firm, the Equal Justice Initiative, and through them he found Hinton and quickly determined he would be the perfect fit for MHS. Hinton’s visit was then made possible by a Mamaroneck Schools Foundation (MSF) grant alongside additional donations from local families.
After almost a year of hard work, the day finally arrived.
MHS juniors and seniors filed into the McClain auditorium. The sound of distracted student chatter began reverberating loudly off the walls as they discussed recent tests and lunch plans. However, within five minutes of Hinton beginning his story, the auditorium fell silent, the audience in awe.
During his speech, Hinton touched on various topics surrounding hope, persistence, suffering and inequality, bringing a particular level of humanity to these largely complex and difficult topics. His raw approach to his story truly captured the attention of students. AP Lang Student Alex Gross spoke on the powerful nature of Hinton’s speech stating how “we are brought up with very challenging and difficult topics but for the first time we got to see the humanity behind one of those really difficult subjects. It was more than [Hinton’s] words, it was the humanity behind him that really changed the perspective of many, if not all, MHS students.”
Despite the immense cruelty and inequality Hinton has been subjected to in his lifetime, students were touched by Hinton’s openness as he stayed for nearly an hour after the presentation sharing laughs with students, taking pictures, and signing pamphlets.
A few days later, in an exclusive interview with Globe staff, Hinton reflected on both his story and his experience at MHS. Since his release from prison in 2015, Hinton has allowed hope and gratitude to guide nearly all aspects of his life. While he makes it clear that he does not “enjoy” the near constant reminders of his plagued past, he knows that he now has the power to make real change in the world and has directed a vast proportion of his efforts towards young people: “I wake up every morning with the idea of hope. I’ve seen hopelessness in young people’s eyes. I’ve seen disparity in many people of all races. And when I see it, especially a young person with no hope, it motivates me as a human being to reach and have that compassion to try and motivate that young person to believe that there’s someone in this world that is willing to help you. There’s someone in this world that is fighting for you every day.”
Hinton continued, stating “it’s up to you to learn as much as you can about a system that you [will] inherit,” advice that has resonated with many Mamaroneck students including Gross who says “Hinton has really made me consider wanting to pursue a career in law.”
When asked about his inspiration to get up and speak about his painful experience, Hinton stated that he has to “believe that I spent those 30 years for a reason. And that reason I have to believe is so that I can share and hopefully inspire a young generation to rise up and say, hey. Not again. Not on our watch. I have an obligation to be the best human being that I can be. I have an obligation to young young women, young men to inspire you to be the best that you can be.”
Hinton closed out on his time spent at MHS leaving students with one final piece of advice: “I want you to know that if I could say anything to any young person, I wanna encourage them to be the best human being that they can be and always reach for the stars. You may not ever touch them, but you have a right to reach for them.” As Mamaroneck High School students left the McClain auditorium, gossip had been replaced with soft tears and grief for the life Hinton and so many others have missed out on. Now, it is our turn to carry on Hinton’s legacy and put in the work to achieve a more just society.
