Reade Seligmann Hosts a Night of Dialog to be Remembered

On the last day of school before Thanksgiving and Easter, Delbarton Fathers and Friends holds the semi-annual Night of Dialogue and hosts a guest speaker.  I have been to all 7 since I began school at Delbarton, and have heard and been moved by some incredible stories.  A few months ago, when I heard Reade Seligmann would be speaking on November 24, I knew we were in for a treat.  I was right; it was easily my favorite Dialogue Night to date.  Who is Reade Seligmann?  Have you ever heard of the Duke Lacrosse Scandal?  He was one of the three players falsely accused of sexually assaulting an exotic dancer at an on-campus spring break party.  Not to mention, Reade, a high school football and lacrosse star, graduated from Delbarton in 2004.  I, like many others, knew the basic summary of the story.  Reade went to a party and left fairly early.  Two exotic dancers arrived, and one of the women claimed she was sexually assaulted.  Additionally, I knew that, not only was Reade innocent, no crime even occurred.  The case carried on as the prosecutor, Mike Nifong, withheld evidence and information such as inconsistencies in the allegedly assaulted woman’s story and DNA samples.  After 13 months, the charges were dropped and Reade, along with his two teammates, were acquitted.  Prior to his presentation, Mrs. Patricia Crapo introduced Reade.  She gave a long and heartfelt talk on Reade and her relationship with him.  Reade opened up his presentation by sharing stories about Delbarton that easily related to the audience, and eventually transitioned to March 13, 2006, the night of the nonexistent incident.  He provided the moral of the story before all the details: The party seemed weird, it was in a weird location, with an unusual selection of people, and he should have left earlier than he did.  Throughout his time behind the microphone, Reade emphasized the support he constantly had from Delbarton.  For months, the majority of people nationwide assumed that Reade was guilty, and he and his teammates suffered a lot of unjust scrutiny.  The Delbarton community knew the kind of person he was, and naturally rallied behind him.  I was amazed at Reade’s grace throughout the night.  He did not demonstrate animosity toward the prosecutor, Mike Nifong, the accuser, Crystal Mangum, or Duke University.  After his acquittal, Reade transferred to Brown University for his final two years of college and served as its lacrosse captain.  He went on to graduate from Emory University’s law school, and now works as a lawyer in addition to his involvement with the Innocence Project.  At every Dialogue Night, each grade splits up to have group discussions.  Us seniors were fortunate enough to have our discussion led by Reade, where we received even more details and advice.  Delbarton crafts fine men, and Reade Seligmann is certainly one of them.