Oprah Prepping Sit-Down W/ Ava Duvernay For “When They See Us”

Oprah Prepping Sit-Down W/ Ava Duvernay For “When They See Us”

If you’ve been able to watch the four-part When They See Us series on Netflix, it’s likely that you’ve experienced the depth and the heartbreaking story of a group of men known as The Central Park 5. Their names, Korey Wise, Raymond Santana, Jr., Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, and Kevin Richardson, have been ringing since their story premiered on streaming site on May 31. In 1989, they were only teenagers, but were wrongfully convicted and served time for the physical abuse and sexual assault of a woman in Central Park.

The story shows how police physically assaulted them and coerced them to the point they confessed to a crime they really didn’t commit. They were exonerated in 2002 after the real perpetrator came forward.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3F9n_smGWY

Now, Oprah Winfrey, who served as an Executive Producer for the gut-wrenching project, is reportedly prepping a sit-down with When They See Us director, Ava Duvernay. While the details for the premiere on the special have not been shared,Winfrey has certainly shown her backing for the special series on social media. She said on May 31,

“Last week I went to the premiere of @whentheyseeus at the @apollotheater. And let me tell you, @ava’s done it again. The compelling story of five Black and Latino teenagers wrongly convicted of a crime they did not commit is a story that must be seen. Hope you stream it today on @netflix. #WhenTheySeeUs“

She commended actor Jharrel Jerome who gave a tear-jerking performance as Wise. 

She also saluted Niecy Nash, who portrayed Wise’s mother.

This won’t be the first time Duvernay and Winfrey sit down together. They also had a compelling conversation for the Netflix documentary 13th. That documentary discussed the disproportions and racial connotation of African Americans in the prison system.

Winfrey and Duvernay had a conversation shortly after.

Have you tuned in to When They See Us? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!