
You might know Alice Sebold from her bestselling novel “The Lovely Bones.” But before that, she became famous for her memoir “Lucky,” where she recounts the brutal assault she survived in a park near her college campus—and the trial that followed. The man convicted in that trial was Anthony Broadwater, who has maintained his innocence for more than 40 years. Today’s episode is about forgiveness, resilience, and the devastating consequences of getting it wrong.
Please be aware that today’s episode contains references to sexual assault and physical violence.
A full transcript of this episode is available here.
Action Items Related to Today’s Episode:
After Innocence provides free post-release assistance for folks like Anthony. According to their website, an innocent person is exonerated in the United States every 54 hours, and most of those people return to the free world with little more than the clothes on their backs. Many will receive zero support in their process of readjusting to normal life, nor do they automatically receive meaningful compensation for the trauma and time lost from incarceration. Since 2016, After Innocence has supported more than 800 exonerated people through its programs, including post-release transition support, dental care, pro bono legal help, health care, tax relief, and lots more. Visit After-Innocence.org to seek help for yourself or a loved one, or to donate and support this critical work.
Know Your IX is “a survivor- and youth-led organization that aims to empower students to end sexual and dating violence in their schools.” Their work seeks to actualize the full potential of the civil rights law Title IX by educating college and high school students on their legal rights, training, organizing, and supporting student survivor activities, and advocating for policy change at the campus, state, and federal levels. You can learn more and donate here.
Audio Used:
YouTube: Anthony Broadwater exonerated in 1981 rape of Alice Sebold, by syracuse.com.
Sources Used:
The Guardian: Adventures in disturbia, by Robert McCrum.
The Cut: Why Didn’t More of Us Question Alice Sebold’s Memoir?, by Johanna Berkman.
American Psychological Association: Eyewitness accuracy in police lineups.
Mother Jones: How the Junk Science of Hair Analysis Keeps People Behind Bars, by Renee Ebersole.
The Associated Press: AP Exclusive: Many sex offenders killed in California prison, by Don Thompson.
The New York Times: HERS; Speaking of the Unspeakable, by Alice Sebold.
New Jersey State Bar Foundation: More Than Meets the Eye in Cross-Racial IDs, by Michael Barbella.
Innocense Project: What Wrongful Convictions Teach Us About Racial Inequality, by Edwin Grimsley.
National Registry of Exonerations: Race and Wrongful Convictions in the United States 2022.
YouTube: Man Exonerated In 1980s Rape Of Author Alice Sebold, by NBC News.