In early November, Lesra Martin spoke to students at McGill's Law school about the importance of using adversity to one's advantage. Martin was an underprivledged child who grew up in Brooklyn, New York and was illiterate until the age of 15. After learning to read with the help of some Canadians, Martin read Rubin Carter's autobiography "The Sixteenth Round." Martin was so taken by Carter's story of wrongful imprisonment that he wrote to the prisoner asking to meet him. From that day on, the fight to free Carter from his triple life sentences began. After years of hard work and activism, both Martin and Carter were able to overcome the odds. Martin has become a successful litigator and inspirational speaker, and Carter is now an active member of the Association in Defence of the Wrongfully Convicted in Toronto.
