Seminole State Speaker Series presents: The Innocence Project of Florida

Panel discussion with exonerees James Bain and Nathan Myers

Monday, October 12, 2020
Written by: Mark Richardson

The ongoing Seminole State College of Florida Speaker Series will host its first event for the 2020-21 academic year on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. with a Zoom webinar panel discussion with The Innocence Project of Florida and exonerees James Bain and Nathan Myers.

Join the webinar panel discussion at  sem.st/panel-talk (Stream opens at 6:45 p.m.)

The Innocence Project of Florida is a nonprofit organization that works to find and free innocent people who have been wrongfully imprisoned in Florida and help them adapt to their new lives outside prison. 

Representatives from the organization will discuss their mission of helping innocent prisoners obtain their freedom and rebuild their lives. They will be joined by exonerees Bain and Myers who will share their history and the impact of their wrongful convictions.

Bain was convicted of rape and kidnapping in 1974 at the age of 19 and 35 years later was exonerated through DNA evidence.   He was released from prison in 2009 at the age of 54.

Myers and his uncle, Clifford Williams, were wrongly convicted of first-degree murder in 1976 and spent 43 years behind bars.   They were exonerated in 2019 under the state's Conviction Integrity Unit after a review by the state attorney’s office found their murder conviction fatally flawed.

The virtual presentation will include a Q&A session.

Seminole State’s Speaker Series is co-sponsored by Addition Financial. All Speaker Series events are free and open to the public. Each session, which will be presented via Zoom webinar, will open at 6:45 p.m. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The views expressed by speakers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Seminole State College of Florida, its Board of Trustees, employees, students, alumni or partners.

For more information, please visit seminolestate.edu/speaker-series.


About the Speaker Series

Each year, the Seminole State Speaker Series welcomes speakers representing diverse views and interests. The Speaker Series is co-sponsored by Addition Financial. For more information and view a list of previous speakers at Seminole State, visit www.seminolestate.edu/speaker-series/previous-speakers

About the Innocence Project of Florida

The Innocence Project of Florida (IPF) is an IRS-certified 501(c)(3), non-profit organization founded in January 2003 to help innocent prisoners in Florida obtain their freedom and rebuild their lives. Our mission is to: 

  • Screen and investigate cases in which meritorious innocence claims are identified; 

  • Secure DNA testing when biological evidence exists; 

  • Advocate for the release and/or exoneration of individuals whose cases present meritorious innocence claims based on evidence of actual innocence; 

  • Provide transitional and aftercare services to exonerees; and 

  • Advocate for necessary criminal justice reform to avoid wrongful incarcerations in the future.

Read more about IPF's key successes in criminal justice reform here. 

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