RUBIN “THE HURRICANE” CARTER

Early Life Rubin Carter was born

May 6, 1937, in Clifton, New Jersey

Carter was arrested and sent to the Jamesburg State Home for Boys at age 12 after he attacked a man with a Boy Scout knife. He claimed the man was a pedophile who had been attempting to molest one of his friends.

Escaping and Enlisting

Carter escaped before his six-year term was up

He joined the army in 1954 and began training to become a boxer.

He won two European light-welterweight championships while in the army

Back To Jersey, Back to Jail

In 1956 Carter returned to Jersey only to be picked up by the police and forced to serve the remaining 10 months of his sentence.

In 1957 he was once again arrested for purse snatching and spent four years in Trenton State, a maximum-security prison.

Professional Boxing

When Carter was released in 1961 he became a professional boxer.

He earned his nickname “The Hurricane” because of his quick hands and dominating skill in the ring

From #1 Contender To…….

Rubin gained a Champions shot for the middleweight championship of the world a little while after loosing his first championship bout by way of decision.

#45472

His Glory was short lived when he was arrested and wrongly convicted of the murder of 3 men in October of 1966.

There was no evidence and only two men who testified against him who were paid off to do so.

Carter and friend Artis were sentenced to 3 life terms in prision.

Reading and Writing to survive

After spending a few years of rebelling and causing chaos in prison Carter decided to write a book and read often to give himself peace of mind.

Supporting an innocent man

Many supported Rubin threw protest such as fellow boxer Mohammad Ali.

Bob Dylan protested for Carter in a song entitled “The Hurricane”

Fighting for Freedom

In 1980 Carter became close with a young man Lesra Martin who lived in Canada with a family that took him in, he had read Carter’s book and began to write him.

Soon after Martin and his family began to become close with Carter and fight for his release.

In 1983 Martins family Joined Carter’s defense team in New York and started to make progress.

February 1988

Rubin was released from prison after serving 22 years

Carter was given an honorary championship title belt by the World Boxing Council

How Literacy Helped Carter

How Others Used Literacy To Help Carter

What I Learned

How important literacy can be The effect and influence literacy can have

on others. Ways of getting your point across How the pen is mightier than the sword