Lesra Martin
Encyclopedia
Lesra Martin is a Canadian lawyer
and motivational speaker
. He is known for helping to bring about the release of boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter
.
, to the violent streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant
and Bushwick
.
Martin started to work when he was ten years old to help provide for his family. Consequently, despite his regular school attendance, he remained illiterate
until he was sixteen years old.
His life changed course when a group of Canadian entrepreneurs offered to help with his education in Canada after realizing his potential. He graduated high school in Ontario and received a BA (Honours) in Anthropology from the University of Toronto
. He went on to obtain a law degree from Dalhousie University
. He was briefly enrolled in the doctoral program in Sociology at the University of Toronto, but left that program due to its rigorous nature. After campaigning for admittance into many of the top law programs in Canada (including the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall (York University)), he was admitted to and joined the law program at Dalhousie University. Since then, he has practiced law as a prosecutor in Kamloops, British Columbia
. Currently, he continues to practice law in Kamloops, as a civil lawyer, specializing in personal injury.
in 1985 after serving 20 years in prison. His involvement began after he read Carter's autobiography The Sixteenth Round. Martin wrote to Carter, in prison, in 1980 and met with him at the prison where he was incarcerated in Trenton, New Jersey
. This contact resulted in the involvement of the group that Martin lived with in Toronto, in the pursuit of Carter's release. Although Carter was convicted at a retrial in 1982 and lost his appeals from that further conviction, a further proceeding was commenced in February 1983 which resulted in his release. The story of Carter's release including Martin's involvement, is portrayed in the film The Hurricane
starring Denzel Washington
although extensive portions of the account are fictionalized.
on CNN, and has been the subject of a National Film Board
production, The Journey of Lesra Martin, which tells the story of Lesra Martin's life.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and motivational speaker
Motivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
. He is known for helping to bring about the release of boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter
Rubin Carter
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter fought professionally as a middleweight boxer from 1961 to 1966. In 1966, he was arrested for a triple homicide in the Lafayette Bar and Grill in Paterson, New Jersey...
.
Background
Lesra Martin was born into a troubled family in 1963. Although his family was middle class, his parents' drinking problems and misfortunes made them move from a comfortable home in QueensQueens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, to the violent streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Bedford-Stuyvesant is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Formed in 1930, the neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 3, Brooklyn Community Board 8 and Brooklyn Community Board 16. The neighborhood is patrolled by the NYPD's 79th and 81st...
and Bushwick
Bushwick, Brooklyn
Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood, formerly Brooklyn's 18th Ward, is now part of Brooklyn Community Board 4...
.
Martin started to work when he was ten years old to help provide for his family. Consequently, despite his regular school attendance, he remained illiterate
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
until he was sixteen years old.
His life changed course when a group of Canadian entrepreneurs offered to help with his education in Canada after realizing his potential. He graduated high school in Ontario and received a BA (Honours) in Anthropology from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. He went on to obtain a law degree from Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
. He was briefly enrolled in the doctoral program in Sociology at the University of Toronto, but left that program due to its rigorous nature. After campaigning for admittance into many of the top law programs in Canada (including the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall (York University)), he was admitted to and joined the law program at Dalhousie University. Since then, he has practiced law as a prosecutor in Kamloops, British Columbia
Kamloops, British Columbia
Kamloops is a city in south central British Columbia, at the confluence of the two branches of the Thompson River and near Kamloops Lake. It is the largest community in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and the location of the regional district's offices. The surrounding region is more commonly...
. Currently, he continues to practice law in Kamloops, as a civil lawyer, specializing in personal injury.
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter
Martin is notable for his involvement in the release of former boxer, Rubin "Hurricane" CarterRubin Carter
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter fought professionally as a middleweight boxer from 1961 to 1966. In 1966, he was arrested for a triple homicide in the Lafayette Bar and Grill in Paterson, New Jersey...
in 1985 after serving 20 years in prison. His involvement began after he read Carter's autobiography The Sixteenth Round. Martin wrote to Carter, in prison, in 1980 and met with him at the prison where he was incarcerated in Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
. This contact resulted in the involvement of the group that Martin lived with in Toronto, in the pursuit of Carter's release. Although Carter was convicted at a retrial in 1982 and lost his appeals from that further conviction, a further proceeding was commenced in February 1983 which resulted in his release. The story of Carter's release including Martin's involvement, is portrayed in the film The Hurricane
The Hurricane (1999 film)
The Hurricane is a 1999 biographical film directed by Norman Jewison, and starring Denzel Washington. The script was adapted by Armyan Bernstein and Dan Gordon from the books Lazarus and the Hurricane by Sam Chaiton and Terry Swinton and The Sixteenth Round by Rubin "Hurricane" Carter.The film...
starring Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
although extensive portions of the account are fictionalized.
Media appearances
Martin has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King LiveLarry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
on CNN, and has been the subject of a National Film Board
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
production, The Journey of Lesra Martin, which tells the story of Lesra Martin's life.
Sources
- Soundprint.org - The Homeboy and the Hurricane Retrieved December 2, 2006.
- Vancouver Courier, 'Film focuses on man who helped free Hurricane', August 24, 2004 Retrieved December 2, 2006.