COD Constitution Day to Examine Wrongful Convictions and Exonerat

In observance of Constitution Day, College of DuPage will host “Rebuilding, Maintaining Hope and Persevering” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, in the William J. Bauer Mock Courtroom located in the Homeland Security Education Center at COD’s Glen Ellyn Campus, 425 Fawell Blvd.

During the event, Eric Blackmon will speak about his experience being accused, tried and convicted of a murder that he did not commit. After nearly two decades in prison, his diligent work to prove his innocence paid off when a federal judge reversed his conviction and granted him a new trial. Cook County prosecutors dropped all charges in January 2019. Blackmon, now 38, is employed as a paralegal working with the Northwestern University Center on Wrongful Convictions.

“We are extremely fortunate to be able to hear from both Eric Blackmon and Karen Daniel, the attorney from the Northwestern University Center on Wrongful Convictions who represented him, as they tell the story of how justice was finally obtained after an 18-year effort,” said Sally Fairbank, COD Paralegal Studies Program Coordinator. “We can’t give Eric back the nearly two decades he spent in prison, but we can learn how to minimize the chances of similar wrongful convictions and be inspired by his example of courage, tenacity and determination.”

COD Assistant Criminal Justice Professor Tauya Forst hopes audience members see Blackman’s journey as an inspiring story of rebuilding, maintaining hope and persevering.

“Eric Blackmon converted this dehumanizing tragedy into an opportunity to educate himself as a paralegal completing two-thirds of the legal foundation which ultimately led to his complete exoneration,” she said.

In addition to Blackmon’s presentation, the College will host other events throughout September and October in observance of Constitution Day, including the nationwide project “Handwriting the Constitution,” held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18 in the COD Library atrium. Participants can examine the text of the Constitution and rewrite its word. There also will be a screening of the first episode of “When They See Us,” a Netflix series based on the true story of five teens falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park, at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, in the William J. Bauer Mock Courtroom.

In addition, the COD Music Department and Music Professor Lee Kesselman will host a performance of, “The Long View: A Portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” presented by vocalist Patrice Michaels (married to Ginsberg’s son) and pianist Kuang-Hao Huang at noon Friday, Sept. 13, at the McAninch Arts Center, Room 140.

For more information, contact COD Sociology Professor Robert Moorehead at (630) 942-2032 or mooreheadr@cod.edu.

Pictured: Eric Blackmon (center) with his lawyers from the Northwestern University Center on Wrongful Convictions