My Story Ain't Over: A Conversation With Innocence Project Exoneree Ru-El Sailor
Ru-El Sailor is a native Clevelander who spent 15 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted for murder before being exonerated with the help of the Ohio Innocence Project in 2018. In its investigation of Mr. Sailor’s case, the Ohio Innocence Project found no evidence, DNA-related or otherwise, linking him to the case, despite false testimony. Mr. Sailor now works as an activist for other wrongfully convicted individuals and to challenge the systemic oppression faced by many. He is a member of the “Voices of Injustice,” a creative and performing arts collective that amplifies the stories of the wrongfully convicted. He also owns his own clothing line called the “Comma Club”; the “comma” in the title marks the comma that Mr. Sailor placed at the end of his 15-year sentence rather than a period, to signify that despite the traumatic ordeal of being wrongfully convicted, “[his] story ain’t over,” as the tagline for the clothing line states.
On February 17, 2026, at 12:00 PM in the Moot Court room, a panel consisting of professors from the CSU Law Wrongful Conviction Clinic, as well as members of the CSU Law Student Bar Association, will host Mr. Sailor and facilitate a gripping discussion about his journey, from his wrongful conviction to his exoneration and his work as an activist. The discussion will then be opened up for a Q&A with attendees, and other members from the “Voices of Injustice” may be in attendance as well. Finally, attendees will have the opportunity to purchase merchandise from the Comma Club clothing line! This event is free and open to the public.