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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 23, 2012

AUTHOR SHARES STORY OF WITNESSING HIS FATHER'S RACIALLY-MOTIVATED MURDER IN CAPTIVATING NEW BOOK

"Cured – The Power of Forgiveness"
Carl Ray tells the incredible story of how his father, one of the most successful African Americans in Choctaw County, Alabama, was murdered after Carl refused to say "Sir" to a white man. In 1984 Carl came to forgive his father’s murderer. He attributes the act of forgiving to have been his own lifesaver. Forgiveness released Carl Ray from his self-imposed prison. His story has been told in The New York Times and on PBS and in countless public forums where Ray has performed his captivating one-man play.
Nationwide—Author and San Jose, California resident, Carl Ray has long been sharing his riveting account of witnessing his father's murder and the circus of a trial that followed. Lawyers for the defendant appealed to the Alabama courts to banish young Carl from the state until he had learned how to talk to white people. Life was not to be the same for Carl Ray; that is until he learned "The Power of Forgiveness." Ray shares his riveting life story in his new autobiography Cured - The Power of Forgiveness. Not only does he impart a detailed account of this horrific experience, but also shares tales of his divergent life as a Black boy growing up in the segregated South of the 1950’s, and as a Tuskegee University student, an electrical engineer, a stand-up comic, an educator, and activist.
Cured - The Power of Forgiveness gives us a peek into the soul of an individual who overcame several challenges during his life. Born two months premature into a segregated society and contracting Polio at the age of four is the backdrop from which this book begins. "Cured is healing through forgiveness," said Carl. "Unfortunately, millions of people suffer from depression, anger, self-hatred and other mental issues, not knowing that the cure lies within the power of forgiveness." He continued, "The greatest day of my life was the day I forgave the man who killed my father. The assumption that forgiveness is relegated to the religious community couldn’t be farther from the truth. An atheist must forgive those who harmed him before he can be free from his past pain."
"Forgiveness is often taught but seldom practiced. If people understood the benefits of forgiveness there would be less need for psychiatrists, therapists, and medication," says Carl Ray.

Mr. Ray is currently a motivational/inspirational speaker residing in San Jose, California with his wife Brenda.

To learn more about Carl Ray and his new book, visit www.curedforgiveness.com. Ray may be reached directly at dellap44@aol.com | 408-206-1768.