Emily Grise

Co-Curricular Activity Essay 1

“I believe the truth will prevail.” Anthony Ray Hinton clung to this as he fought to free

himself from jail and the lie stamped to his forehead for thirty years after his arrest for a murder

he was innocent of. Hinton stood firm by the truth, refusing to give in to the racism-based

accusations. He represents all the African Americans who have suffered at the hand of racism

present in the judicial system. The system behind his arrest is well documented in the film 13 th.

This accounts for the brokenness that leads to mass incarcerations of black men and where these

roots lie. It begins with slavery, moving through time to its remains today. Hinton’s attitude and

determination is something everybody can learn from. He constantly showed people love,

changing the life of a young man raised by a hate filled KKK father. Hinton’s admirable attitude,

love, and determination when face to face with a system fighting for his death should improve

each reader as a person while lighting a fire under them in the fight for justice.

Hinton’s steadfastness in clutching to the truth is one of the most impactful qualities in

his story. If he had not done so, he could have spent a lot less time in jail. He held the truth to a

higher standard than his life. He was willing to die fighting for the truth than just go to jail for

admitting to a crime he did not commit. This is parallel to a scene in Plato’s The Apology. Here,

Socrates chooses to drink Hemlock rather than lie to his accusers. He tells the court, “I would

much rather die after this kind of defense than live after making the other kind. Neither I nor any

other man should, on trial or in war, contrive to avoid death at any cost.” (Anthology 91). In both

situations, the accused would have had a much easier time if they had given in. It would have

been so easy for these two people to succumb to those pushing for their confession, but they

refused. Hinton told the audience, “I could never tell a lie, even if the truth is against everyone.”
(Hinton Lecture). It is difficult to determine whether all the accusers genuinely believed Hinton

committed these crimes, or if pointing the finger at him was their “easy way out.” For at least a

few, and likely most, the accusation was not rooted in belief in his guilt, but in hate. One of the

first people Hinton spoke to post his arrest outright told him, “I believe you didn’t commit a

crime...” (Hinton Lecture). He knew Hinton was innocent, and did not hide it, but still fought for

his arrest for no other reason than the color of his skin.

Hinton’s reaction to the hatred he faced should teach those who hear his story a lesson.

Examples of things said to Hinton include: “I’m going to make sure you're found guilty.,”

“...since y’all always take up for each other, why do not you take up for whoever did it.,” and

“All y’all do stuff then say you didn’t once you're caught.” (Hinton Lecture). The use of “y’all”

in these statements shows the stereotypes placed on black men. The grouping together of black

men and assumption that the acts done by one man is the result of all is unreasonable. The film

13th tells of the term “super predators” (13th). This is the name used by certain media sources

when discussing black male kids. The term itself draws a picture of fear and violence that gives

those who hear it a clear idea of how “the media” wants these kids to be seen and treated. This

and other pictures of African Americans pushed into the public eye led to the treatment of Hinton

during his arrest. This could have been ammunition for Hinton to fire hate right back at them,

however he went a different route, silence. After his death row sentence, he did not speak to a

single person for three years. Then using that built up tension to fight his way out, he

continuously pushed until the truth, which everyone had always known, was discovered.

Hinton truly loved everybody, and this could not be more well represented than in his

relationship with Henry. Henry spent his entire life hating people of color. It is what sent him to

jail. Similar to those Hinton interacted with before his sentence, there was no apparent reason for
Hinton to show Henry love. But that is exactly what he did. Hinton chose to love Henry. It is not

clear whether he saw potential for change in Henry or he was taught to love everybody. When he

later tells Henry, regarding his father’s racism, “Thats just your father’s cancer,” it seems as if

the latter is most true (Hinton Lecture). Hinton saw, and sees, the potential impact showing

someone love has. In showing Henry love, he changes his opinions, a difficult thing to do. The

significance Hinton’s love held to Henry is evident in his final words to Hinton, “All my life my

mother and father taught me to hate, but the very people they taught me to hate are the people

who showed me love. As I leave this world, I now know what love is.” (Hinton Lecture). Henry

knew nothing but hate. For him to turn to love should be an encouragement to readers to show

nothing but love to others. People do terrible things, but that does not make them undeserving of

love or incapable of change. Henry is a reminder of just this.

Socrates’ Allegory of the Cave emphasizes the importance of examination. Here,

Socrates portrays the idea that an unexamined life is not worth living (Anthology 18-24). Rather

than continuing with the beliefs adopted from parents, people should instead investigate the basis

and effect of their beliefs. No matter how late this examination comes, it is always impactful.

Henry died a better man because he did this. This is a challenging thing to do, especially

regarding beliefs that have been held for a lifetime. People often believe there is no possible way

for any belief to be “better” than the ones they currently hold, but there is no way to know this

without putting one’s current beliefs under a microscope. This inspires the quest for a liberal

education. To be introduced to a variety of fields and opinions of peers can be incredibly

impactful. This reexamination introduced in The Allegory of the Cave is the foundation of liberal

education.
 My only lingering question is how this can happen. How can there be so much evidence

proving someone’s innocence, yet they end up with the worst punishment of all. Maybe it is

certain people causing this. But if this is the case, where does this stem from? People do not

wake up one day deciding randomly they want to put clearly innocent people behind bars. It

must come from somewhere. In the case of Henry, it came from his dad. So maybe a lot of the

problem is generational. People know nothing else aside from this hatred, so it is easier for them

to accept their unexamined opinions and pass it down through generations. This continues until

one person decides to stop and think. Think about why they have these beliefs and if they are

true. But what does it take to get here? Socrates’ Allegory of the Cave tells readers that the

unexamined life is not worth living, but this is a lot easier said than done. For Henry, it took

getting on death row to examine these ideas. Maybe the majority of the problem lies at the heart

of the system. But this almost leads to a loss of hope. The system is dominant. It seems daunting

to carry out the changes necessary, but it may be possible. This requires the involvement of those

who are passionate and recognize the importance of change, making sure Hinton’s, and others,

experience is never repeated.