Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 10.18.23

Alabama continues to be in the national and international news because it asked for an execution date for Kenneth Smith whose first execution was botched. We share all the articles on Facebook and of course copy and send them to our Board at Holman. The State has also asked for an execution date for Casey McWhorter.

We are reaching out to the German and Belgium consulates in Atlanta suggesting how the death penalty could be lifted up at the next Olympic Games next summer in Paris.

We discussed the notes from the meeting of the Alabama people of faith coalition and the article “Christian Leaders Increase Pressure On Lawmakers In Anti-Death Penalty Fight” in Religion Unplugged. We appreciate the quote:” A coalition of diverse Christian leaders across the United States have intensified their fight this week against the death penalty, arguing that the state does not have the right to take the life of another. “We have to look at the death penalty for what it really is.”

Dr. Katie Owens Murphy’s interview “The Mechanics of the Death Penalty, Vividly Depicted By Men In Its Grip – Southern Review of Books” about our book Ghosts over the Boiler can be found at: https://southernreviewofbooks.com/2023/09/20/ghosts-over-the-boiler-katie-owens-murphy-interview/

Our Chairman initiated a discussion about responsibility and accountability for our actions regarding our position on the Board. Each position has unique responsibilities which we must meet!

We recommend: Beth Shelburne@bshelburne “If you're listening to my #podcast Earwitness about how Toforest Johnson wrongfully ended up on death row, check out the show's website, with a carefully curated page for each episode that includes investigative documents, photos   and more. http://lavaforgood.com/earwitness”

We also appreciated the article in Countercurrents "Alabama’s Governor and the Pro-Life Cult of Death" and we quote: “ A cover-up for bigotry. The death penalty has never been about justice. It is reserved for poor people and is racist to the core. Alabama has one of the worst records, sentencing more people to death per capita than any other state. Of 153 executions between 1927 and 1976, 126 were of African Americans even though they are only 25% of the population.”

Esther was privileged to join the group Conversation re: death penalty in Alabama initiated by Worth Rises. Their work gives us hope!

We thank all who are working so hard and diligently to stop all killing in Alabama! And as always in closing, we thank all our generous donors who either gave by going to our website and using the “donate” button or who gave directly. Thank you also to all who took the time to read our notes, commented, liked and shared them on Facebook. And if you would like to order our book “Ghosts Over the Boiler” you can do so at Amazon.com. Stay well and be kind to each other!                                                                 Esther