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There are times in your life where you listen to someone, and everything changes. Do you know the word hate? Stop and think for a second and think. Have you ever hated anyone? Are you bitter? Has someone deserved you, or hurt you in anyway? You probably answered yes to all of these questions. Would it surprise you to know that I listened to a man who doesn't have the word hate in his dictionary? Would it surprise you even more if I told you that man was on death row for thirty years of his life? Are you surprised yet? No? Well, what if I told you that the man was put on death row for thirty years…for a crime he didn't commit? Anthony Ray Hinton was racially profiled and placed on death row. Why? The color of his skin....The only evidence that was against him was bullets that didn't even belong to him. He was found guilty by an all white jury, and judge. He didn’t come from money and he was arrested on a day where he was just mowing grass. His life changed. He questioned why he was being arrested, and was ignored several times. Until he was told that he was arrested for the murder of John Davidson and Thomas Wayne Vascona. A crime he played no part in. Was that really why he was arrested? No. Someone needed to be arrested and he happened to fit the “profile”. What was the profile you may wonder, an African American male with a beard. The criminal justice system didn’t care if he didn’t commit the crime, the color of his skin was all they needed. It wasn’t until Bryan Stevenson worked with Hinton to prove his innocence. Many times in Hinton’s speech he thanked Mr. Stevenson.

Think of this situation. Thirty years this man was in death row. Thirty years he dealt with being fed through a slot like an animal, thirty years sleeping in cell so small that he had to sleep in a beetle position every single night. Thirty years of becoming acquainted with people, only to see them die. Imagine, a small room with a bed and a toilet…now imagine being there for thirty years. How would you feel? He told us to go into our bathroom and sit there for thirty minutes…even that task felt impossible.

Anthony talked at my university and his words stuck. He would find ways to occupy his mind, to think about other places he dreamed of being. He found himself meeting the queen and marrying Halle Berry only to divorce her for Sandra Bullock. He kept his faith and followed his mother’s wishes. He lost his mother while he was on death row, and that is when he almost took his own life. However, her voice kept him alive. He kept fighting because he knew that’s what she would have wanted. His way to handle his emotions is inspiring. What is even more inspiring? His ability to forgive.

You see, Hinton never believed in hating. Even after the justice system took thirty years of his life away. He couldn’t hate the people who placed him into that cell. He couldn’t hate the people who wouldn’t investigate further into his case. He just couldn’t do it. Now imagine how someone who has been through Hell, who was failed by the justice system, can’t hate. It’s pretty remarkable.

Hinton has the soul that fill up a whole theatre. As he spoke, everyone followed his words, with tears in their eyes. The theatre had special rows dedicated to criminal justice majors. You could see on their faces how absorbed in his words they were. You could see that they will be the ones to make a change. The passion that they had in their eyes, should give you hope. It should give Hinton hope, that something like what happened to him, doesn’t happen again. That is Hinton’s wish.

The injustices done to Hinton was a disgrace. Yet, he still doesn’t hate. Yet, he still forgives the people who had failed him. He says that things can never go back to normal. He wakes up at 3:00 A.M. because in death row that’s when they ate breakfast. He can’t stretch out in his California king size mattress, he can’t shower everyday. He is always going to be haunted by what he has seen and smelled. His life will never be the same, and yet he can forgive.

You can forgive too. You can stop hating another person. Hinton didn’t let hate win, and neither should we. I will never understand, (WE) will never understand what it feels like. Hinton knows forgiveness. He knows how to appreciate the stars and the rain that touches his skin. He can see things that we will never be able to. Hinton has taught me the meaning of life. He has taught me to forgive, not to hate but to love, and to keep going. I admire this man so much and I am devastated about what he had to go through. I have so much respect for him and am grateful that he shared his story with my university. Thousands of people were moved that day, and that’s how changes can be made. Thank you Anthony Ray Hinton, thank you.