Lesra Martin was once an inner city kid dismissed by society, yet his heart carried hope and courage. He effected profound change in the lives of many, including his own. “Young Lazarus,” Coretta Scott King once noted, “will win your heart.”

Lesra Martin’s heartrending story has mesmerized and inspired millions through the major Hollywood feature “The Hurricane”. Its’ star, Denzel Washington, marveled over Lesra’s real life odyssey from a poorly educated Brooklyn teen to a respected prosecutor with university degrees. “What a journey!” Washington told Reuters

Inspired by his experiences, The National Film Board produced the documentary “The Journey of Lesra Martin”, and the compelling film has been screened at film festivals throughout Canada as well as the Hollywood Black Film Festival, Black Film Festival (San Francisco), The Urban Literary Film Festival (Greensboro, U.S.) and the 24^th International Durban Film Festival, (Durban, South Africa).
 

He was invited to speak before the General Assembly delegates at the United Nations, where he gave an impassioned speech about the devastating effects of literacy and poverty, and at Cambridge University, where he spoke before world leaders. He has been featured on countless television and radio shows, most notably as a special guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live. Dozens of newspaper and magazines articles from The New York Times and The Washington Post to Sports Illustrated and Reader’s Digest Magazine have chronicled aspects of Lesra’s life.
 

Lesra spreads his message of hope to thousands, appearing before corporate groups, community organizations, schools and universities. He has appeared as a keynote speaker for a wide variety of companies and organizations, including IBM, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard and the International Subway Corporation. He has delivered his heart felt message to Piney Woods School (Mississippi), Atlanta International School, Boston College, Baylor University and Dartmouth, as well appearing before the Mel Goldberg Symposium on Justice (Minnesota), Council of Exceptional Children (Child Development Institute, Early Literacy), and the YMCA (Ohio) among many others.
 

Of his eight siblings, Lesra is the only one with a high school diploma. He completed high school as an Ontario scholar in 1983 and received an Honours B.A. from the University of Toronto in 1988. He achieved his law degree from Dalhousie Law School in 1997, served as a Crown Prosecutor in Kamloops, British Columbia, and now practices law with a private firm in British Columbia.
 

He has received the YMCA Black Achievers Partner in Excellence Award (Ohio) and numerous awards and certificates of recognition have been bestowed on him for his willingness to be a role model and mentor for youth. He was acknowledged with a lifetime membership with the National Black Caucus of Special Educators, a division of the CEC (Washington, D.C.).
 

In 2009 Lesra published his first book - The Power of a Promise - Discover the Promise in You!  He was also featured in the book Lazarus and the Hurricane, which unfolds the story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter's wrongful conviction and Lesra Martin's miraculous determination to free him from behind bars, w here he had been for 20 years.  A remarkable story.

 

The Power of a Promise

Lesra Martin’s secret is he believes that neither your intellect nor your circumstances will ultimately determine your success in life; that the real key to success lies in our ability to make a commitment to ourselves and then to fulfill that promise, whatever it is! Each one of us has the potential for a great life. Each of us has something special to offer the world; we need only to discover what it is. Filled with thought-provoking insights and practical guidance for tackling the everyday challenges we all face, The Power of a Promise takes us on a journey to uncover our hidden strengths, to discover the gifts that we have to share and to reveal the life that we were meant to live.

 

Hope, Heart and Human Spirit (H3)
Life presents us with many challenges. These challenges often test our strength, courage and our ability to grow. Despite hurdles and obstacles, we can never give in. Finding the strength to overcome, persevere, and to succeed in the face of adversity begins with maintaining HOPE, having HEART and believing in the power of the HUMAN SPIRIT. The importance of possessing these three characteristics forms the basis of this keynote.
 

Showing the Way of the Power of One
"But for the kindness of strangers I wouldn't be here." –Lesra
These strangers are quintessential examples of what can happen when we embrace the notion that we all share this planet together. Drawing from past experience, Lesra shows audiences how he learned that the power of one to make a difference exists in each of us. The significance of the mark that we leave, now and tomorrow comes down to attitude and how we perceive the power we possess to contribute, individually and collectively. Activating and engaging the power of one starts with our ability, and willingness, to lend a hand. Lesra encourages us to "Put yourself in the picture!"

 

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