Ava DuVernay Shares Date for Her Central Park Five Netflix Series

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay announced the release date for When They See Us, a Netflix limited series about the Central Park Five, on Friday.

The four-part project was co-written and directed by DuVernay and is based on the true story that gripped the country in 1989, when five Harlem teenagers of color–Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise–were convicted of a rape they did not commit.

The story will begin in the spring of 1989, when the teens were first questioned by authorities. It will span 25 years and include their 2002 exoneration and the 2014 settlement from the city of New York.

Not thugs. Not wilding. Not criminals. Not even the Central Park Five. They are Korey, Antron, Raymond, Yusef, Kevin. They are millions of young people of color who are blamed, judged and accused on sight. May 31. A film in four parts about who they really are. WHEN THEY SEE US. pic.twitter.com/QQBVqo4TYM
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 1, 2019

“In 1989, five black and brown teen boys were wrongly accused of a crime they did not commit and branded the Central Park Five, a moniker that has followed them since that time,” DuVernay said in a statement obtained by EBONY.

The limited series was originally titled after the moniker, but the director and streaming giant wanted to free the men from thatlabel, which has been rooted in racism.

DuVernay added, “In 2019, our series gives the five men a platform to finally raise their voices and tell their full stories. In doing so, Korey, Antron, Raymond, Kevin and Yusef also tell the story of many young people of color unjustly ensnared in the criminal justice system. We wanted to reflect this perspective in our title, embracing the humanity of the men and not their politicized moniker.”

The series stars Michael K. Williams, Vera Farmiga, John Leguizamo, Felicity Huffman, Niecy Nash, Blair Underwood, Christopher Jackson and Joshua Jackson.

When They See Us will be available through Netflix starting May 31.

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Christina Santi

Christina Santi is a news and culture writer for EBONY.com. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, she considers herself a well-read, not so traditional feminist with a heavy interest in music, fashion and pop culture. Christina currently lives in New York City, where she refers to her Cuban & Jamaican descent often while writing about her experiences as a first-generation Afro-Latinx in America. She also devotes time writing personalized reading material for her tutees and turning ideas into words for streetwear brand, PUER By Noel Bronson.