“I did what I did for you guys,” Massey said. “Not for me. You.” In 2014, author Kimberly P. John- son published a book entitled, “No Fear of Freedom: The Story of the Friendship 9.” “Through this book, young people can get information about how life used to be,” said Wells.
multiple Emmy® winner Steve Crump produced a documentary called “Principle, Punishment and Redemption,” carries the story forward. The documentary chronicles that in January 2015 Bracket brought the men back to court in York county
lawyer from 1961, retired South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Ernest Finney, the first African American on South Carolina’s Su- preme Court. Expressing that his choice to over- turning the nine convictions was inspired by a statement Martin Lu-
ther King Jr. made in his 1963 “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” “In- justice anywhere is a threat to justice every- where,” Judge Hayes declared, “We cannot rewrite history, but we can right history.” The records of the Friendship 9 still reflect the arrests but show they were not guilty of a crime. Wells saw parallels to what transpired in Ferguson, Missouri
“Children should be able to see their way to the top of society and not have to be [legally] at the bottom to get justice done.”
Johnson pushed the then Solicitor of the 16 th Circuit to re- view the convictions. According to reports, the Solicitor, Kevin Brackett, had been work- ing on the convictions since 2006, originally to seek pardons. After prodding from Johnson, he later changed his approach because doing so would “completely erase an important historical moment.” He then decided to seek a hearing that would take place just 500 yards from where the arrests occurred more than 50 years ago.
and other locations, stating “It’s important that young people react against injustice.” “If [future generations] are aware of how we were treated back then and realize the opportunities they have in school and to do many things we could not, then it will have been worth it,” stated Wells. “They should be aware of the past and appreciate that we have come a long way and continue the fight for justice,” he concluded. Here’s to Brother Massey, Brother Wells and the other members of the Friend- ship 9!
and made a motion to vacate the cases, clearing their records and apologizing to them for the injustice of 1961. “What these gentlemen did was take a courageous stand against an obnoxious and vial policy,” stated Brackett. “It’s important that we publicly and legally recognize the wrongfulness of those convictions.” The new case was presided over by Circuit Judge Mark Hayes III, the nephew of the original trial judge.
Wanting to preserve the voices of those in the Civil Rights era,
Representing them was the same
Above: Wells and Massey.
56 | SPRING 2017 THE JOURNAL
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