Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 4.5.23
There are just not enough words to even begin to describe our emotions when our book GHOSTS OVER THE BOILER, Voices from Alabama’s Death Row, Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty edited by Katie Owens-Murphy arrived at Holman. Grateful, yes, proud, yes, also sad as we remember our founders and those we have lost, yes, all of that and more and so we thought we would like to give the reviewers the word to give you an idea.
Bernard E. Harcourt of Columbia Law School: “This selection is one of the most important archives of the modern US death penalty giving voice to the brilliant and dedicated men on Alabama’s death row-to their essays, editorials and poems; to their interviews, scanned documents, and letters; to their photographs, remembrances and reflections . Beautifully and faithfully curated by Katie Owens-Murphy, this archive is a glorious tribute to the human spirit.”
And then a little closer to home there is Andrew Baer, author, at UAB who wrote: “Ghosts Over the Boiler helps put a human face on capital punishment. This book traces the development of the death penalty abolition movement, the history of Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty and the evolution of the capital punishment system in Alabama since 1989.”
The printers are Vanderbilt University Press and it is available in hard cover and paper back. www.vanderbiltuniversitypress.com
Here is the link to the official announcement for our grant-funded art project. Kerrigan Casey is the lead artist on the project. If anyone would like to contribute or be involved, please let us know. https://npnweb.org/sa4sc2023
Last Saturday on npr’s Weekend Edition: https://www.npr.org/2023/04/01/1167587410/alabama-will-carry-out-death-penalties-again-after-botched-executions-prompted-
The Evangelical Network of Equal Justice USA is hosting a meeting Wednesday, April 12, 2023 Time: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM at Resurrection Catholic Missions, Fr. Richard Administration Building, 2815 Forbes Dr, Montgomery. They will be equipping local pastors with the tools they need to end mass incarceration in Alabama; learn about (and receive) EJUSA's anti-death penalty tools; engage in ways to free Toforest Johnson, and unite in prayer towards racial justice.
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. You encourage us and make all the difference. Stay safe!
Esther
