Today's MOZEN: The Lesson of the Hurricane

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter

When I get tired and feel like I just can't carry the fight any more, I think of this man - Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, who was falsely tried and imprisoned for a murder in Paterson, NJ that he was later exonerated of. For the nearly the 2 decades he was in prison, he REFUSED TO WEAR A PRISONERS UNIFORM. He told the guards that if they tried to make him, he would FIGHT them, literally, then, the next day, the day after that, and to the end of time. He simply would not allow the corrupt system that sent him to prison identify him. He could not be broken - and, he never was.

At the time of his arrest, he was the #1 contender for the middleweight crown. He could have risen above the poverty stricken chaos of his youth to become World Champion. That distinction was stolen from him. However, he became much more important than a mere boxing champion - he transformed into an international symbol of resistance against oppression.

I need to remember that. . .