Termaine Hicks

“Life has a way of making lemons into lemonade. The challenges I have faced throughout my life have exposed me to similar situations our youth are facing today. Most people can’t identify with their pain; I can. As a survivor of gun violence and watching peers be bullied, I’ve made it my life mission to bring awareness to how important it is for individuals to S.T.E.P.U.P.!”

Termaine Hicks spent 19 years in prison after Philadelphia police shot him three times in the back while responding to a woman who had been attacked, deliberately planted a gun on him, and wrongly arrested him for the attack. The Innocence Project took on Termaine’s case in 2011 and pursued DNA testing. On December 16, 2020, Termaine’s conviction was overturned based on exculpatory DNA evidence and the finding that the officers had lied under oath at his trial. Termaine is now a national speaker against wrongful convictions, gun violence, and the challenges faced by our youth. He is also a volunteer at the Juvenile Justice Center.