Mix & Mingle: 6PM–7PM
Program: 7PM–9PM | General Motors Theater
America, I AM: From Injustice to Redemption is a powerful evening of spoken word, visual art, and collective reflection, presented in partnership with the Detroit Opera House and the University of Michigan
This community-centered event uplifts the voices of Detroit-based exonerees as they share moving stories of injustice, resilience, and transformation. Their lived experiences provide an unflinching exploration of the intersections of justice, identity, and renewal.
Inspired by the legacy of the Exonerated Five, the evening offers space for healing, dialogue, and solidarity. Through storytelling, poetry, and music, we will engage with themes of liberation, freedom, and advocacy—highlighting the power of reclaiming one's narrative.
Attendees will also experience visual artworks that honor the creativity, strength, and vision of African American artists. Together, we will reflect on our personal and collective journeys, and celebrate the courage it takes to transform pain into purpose.
To further explore the story of the Exonerated Five, we encourage you to attend The Central Park Five, an opera presented by the Detroit Opera House. For tickets and information, please visit https://detroitopera.org/show/the-central-park-five/
Meet The People
- Tawana Petty
Tawana Petty, known by stage name Honeycomb, is a mother, facilitator, social justice organizer, poet and author. She is the founding Executive Director of Petty Propolis, Inc., an artist incubator which teaches poetry, policy literacy and advocacy and data and digital privacy education. Petty also serves on the CS for Detroit Steering Committee. She is a 2023-2025 Just Tech Fellow with the Social Science Research Council, a National LIO Yearlong Alumni Fellow with the Rockwood Leadership Institute, an alumni fellow of the Digital Civil Society Lab at the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS), the Detroit Equity Action Lab, and Art Matters Foundation.
Petty has been honored with numerous awards. Selected honors include a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition and Wayne State University’s Center for Peace and Conflict Studies Peacemaker Award in 2018. In 2021, she was named one of 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics. In 2023, Petty was honored with the AI Policy Leader in Civil Society Award by the Center for AI and Digital Policy, the Ava Jo Silent Shero Award by the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion and with a Racial Justice Leadership Award by the Detroit People's Platform. In 2024, she was named on Business Insider's AI Power List for Policy and Ethics.
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- Dr. Yusef Bunchy Shakur
Dr. Yusef Bunchy Shakur is a father, community builder, and justice-rooted leader born and raised in Detroit. He draws strength from the love and struggle of his mother, Ava Jo, and the hard lessons of the streets and prison. As a Black Organic Intellectual and formerly incarcerated person, he now serves as the first Black Executive Director of the Michigan Roundtable for Just Communities. From Zone 8 to statewide movement spaces, he leads with heart, humility, and vision—fighting for healing, dignity, and power for those most impacted. He doesn’t just talk about justice—he lives it.
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- Dr. Marvin Cotton Jr.
Dr. Marvin Cotton Jr. is an award-winning leader, advocate, and motivational speaker whose life story exemplifies resilience, transformation, and the power of purpose. Wrongfully convicted at 21, he spent 19 years, 7 months, and 12 days in prison before being exonerated. Since his release, Dr. Cotton has become a powerful force in justice reform, community empowerment, and mentorship. He is the Founder of Better Not Broken Community Development Corporation, which helps formerly incarcerated individuals transition through programs like the SUCCESS Program. As the Co-founder and Vice President of the Organization of Exonerees, he advocates for justice reform and supports exonerees across the nation. His advocacy has successfully secured freedom for more than two dozen wrongfully convicted individuals. Dr. Cotton is also a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and mentor, delivering impactful messages on emotional intelligence, accountability, and justice reform. He collaborates with organizations such as the Illinois Innocence Project to educate police officers and cadets on wrongful convictions, and his work has shaped policy and community initiatives nationwide.
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- AyLaina Thornton
AyLaina Thornton is a light being having a very human experience. She was born in Detroit Michigan to a middle-class family with two loving parents and three siblings. She has always quoted her life with her grandfather’s quote…. Your worst day of trial is always your best day of testimony. She certainly does hold quite the testimony.
In 2006 AyLaina was unjustly incarcerated as many melanated people are in this country. While facing 25 years to life for a crime she did not commit she was found guilty and faced 16 to life under the Rico Act as an aider and abettor after refusing to testify against her codefendant. She ultimately served two flat years with concurrent probations due to a letter campaign of character references from charitable organizations she had volunteered for, city leaders, coworkers, and a host of family and friends. After being inundated with so many correspondences the judge did the first downward departure in sentencing, he had done in over three decades on his bench. While serving her mandatory two years of incarceration she worked with several groups to advocate for the betterment of incarcerated souls.
This is a passion she has continued upon returning home. Groups like the Prisoner Creative Arts Program allowed her to develop her talents as a spoken word artist and upon coming home graced stages and open mics with many of Detroit’s most talented artists. She has also had several pieces on various artists’ albums. AyLaina has previously sat on the board of a local charity RAHAM Inc. (Response Able Hands and Minds) which works to provide community centers and community restoration beginning with the Saratoga project in the 48205-zip code.
She was recognized along with her fellow board members as a Spirit of Detroit Award recipient by the Detroit City Council. Although she is not a current active board member, she remains a lifelong friend of the vision and the movement. She was also a friend and advocate of PCAP (Prisoner Creative Arts Project) and she fought for The Removal of The Box project. She after countless interviews and denials found gainful employment working a salary position approximately 50 hours a week for a prestigious company, a position she held for over nine years. In her current role she is the Marketing Coordinator for 15 local publications. In her spare time, she continues her love for poetry, provides life coaching and readings, makes jewelry and customized clothing, and her greatest joy is her family and being a wife and mother.
Just this past year AyLaina went through the egregious task of petitioning the courts to expunge her record. She won her case, and all three assaultive felonies were cleared from her record finally after more than 18 years of being unjustly persecuted. She is quoted as saying “That through the collective consciousness it is her will that all returning citizens find peace, reconciliation, forgiveness of self, gainful employment or entrepreneurialism, enlightenment, empowerment, and a chance to balance any negative energy given or received. Hopefully by raising the vibrations of us all as a human race we can collectively reduce the recidivism rate. This can only be done by allowing returning citizens a route to regaining a position as a productive member of society and by installing programs and opportunities for particularly melanated people to avoid the political and social business of the justice system. Let us all act proactively more than we work punitively”.
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