Sister Helen on Social Media
You can donate by going to https://givenola.org and typing MADP in the Find Your Cause box. If you can't donate today, you can always donate at my site: https://sisterhelen.org/
So you know I wasn't resting on my laurels as you donated today, here's what I was doing: https://icomdp.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/International-Conference-Death-Penalty-May-4th-2021-Concept-Note-Agenda.pdf It was a wonderful event!
As I watch the donations flood in this GiveNOLA Day, not just to MADP but to all the participating nonprofits, I’ve been pondering the nature of generosity in times of need.
It’s clear there’s been an uptick in donations, especially to organizations that provide food or shelter. But at our little organization, we, too, have noticed larger donations coming in, and more of them.
Social scientists and geneticists who study altruism often suggest that what seems to be generosity is, in fact, self-interest: we give, even when giving might hurt, because we expect some tangible reward in return, whether that reward is monetary or a social benefit such as prestige. It makes it sound pretty selfish, doesn’t it?
My take is that humans are such sociable animals, so deeply rooted in community, that the real “reward” we are pursuing is an increase in the general social good, the health of our community. What do you think?
(And yes, we're still accepting GiveNOLA Day donations at https://givenola.org - look for MADP in the Find Your Cause box.)
We're taking donations all day at https://givenola.org. Just type MADP in the 'Find your cause' box.
I know you support my work in many ways, and I appreciate all that support and justice-loving energy and thought that you bring to our cause. Today, I ask you to dig into your pockets to help end the death penalty. If you can't, I completely understand - this past year has been rough on so many people - and I send you my love.
To donate, go to https://givenola.org and type MADP in the 'Find My Cause' box.
If you want to donate by check, make your check out to:
Ministry Against the Death Penalty (write it in full, please) and send it to:
MADP
3009 Grand Rte. St. John Street
New Orleans, LA 70119
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍🤎
Regressive laws like this one will only hasten the end of the death penalty: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/553849-south-carolina-governor-signs-law-giving-inmates-choice-between-firing
"I’m nineteen years old, the year is 1958, and I’ve already made it through the first nine months of probation. More than anything in the world I want to be a saint."
@helenprejean: Boot Camp for Brides of Jesus.
Boot Camp for Nuns
I’m nineteen years old, the year is 1958, and I’ve already made it through the first nine months of ...
buff.ly
The U.S. Supreme Court says that it is unconstitutional to execute people with intellectual disabilities, but those words mean nothing if people are denied the opportunity to present their case in court. Mark Jenkins has been denied that opportunity:
A man with intellectual disability is on death row — give him his day
For decades, courts have denied a man on death row in Alabama the opportunity to prove his intellectual disability.
thehill.com
Mitigation matters! A St. Louis jury opted for life instead of death after hearing testimony regarding Eric Lawson’s poverty-stricken upbringing and significant childhood trauma. Prayers for the victims’ families as this trial concludes.
St. Louis man sentenced to life in death of son and 2 others
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A man who killed his 10-month-old son, ex-girlfriend and her mother in 2012 was spared the ...
www.stltoday.com
Congratulations to the people of Illinois on 10 years without the death penalty!
A decade past the death penalty in Illinois | Injustice Watch
Seven people who advocated for the end of capital punishment reflect on the movement that led Illinois to abolish the death penalty in 2011.
www.injusticewatch.org
#EricLawson #DeathPenalty trial is ongoing in St. Louis City. Today the defense rested after calling over 20 witnesses in the penalty phase. Closing arguments start at 9:00 AM 5/6/21.
@MADPMO will be there and needs your support!
1/x
Two recent developments from TX in Clinton Young’s case:
(1) The Midland County trial court is recommending that Clinton should have a new trial.
(2) The former prosecutor who moonlighted as the judge’s clerk while also prosecuting Clinton’s case surrendered his law license.
Midland 385th Court recommends new trial for death row inmate Clinton Young
Midland 385th Court recommends new trial for death row inmate Clinton Young
Judge Sid Harle, who was sitting by assignment in the Midland County 385th District...
bit.ly
The #DeathPenalty prolongs the pain and trauma of victims families.
Stand with us as we call for true transformative justice and show support to all victims of the death penalty.
1/x
.@helenprejean: Daniel Berrigan, S.J., was one of the first people to truly inspire me when I first began to wake up to the reality that justice was an integral part of the Gospel of Jesus.
‘He loved my Cajun jokes!’ Sister Helen Prejean on Daniel Berrigan
Sometimes people can work for justice and they become so doggone serious that it is kind of heavy to be with them. It was never heavy to be with Dan.
www.americamagazine.org
What a justice loving community we have here! Thanks for your GiveNOLA Day donations to power our work. If you couldn't donate yesterday, you can always do so at my site, https://sisterhelen.org.
We haven't forgotten. Forensic testing just revealed DNA from an unknown male on the murder weapon and a bloody shirt found at the crime scene. Ledell Lee's DNA was not on either object. Gov. @AsaHutchinson and @AGRutledge rushed to execute this man despite big holes in the case.
Gov. @AsaHutchinson will execute Ledell Lee tonight, but we won't forget about it any time soon.
Wow! We've started GiveNOLADay off with a bang. Let's keep it going.
Today, I ask you to dig into your pockets to help end the death penalty. If you can't, I completely understand - this past year has been rough on so many people - and I send you my love. https://www.givenola.org/madp
Clergy from across North Carolina are linking up to say with one voice: Racist police violence is a moral emergency. #AndrewBrownJr
Watch the full video: http://breachrepairers.org/racistpoliceviolence
GiveNOLA Day, May 4, is our biggest fundraising event of the year. https://www.givenola.org/madp
Texas plans to execute Quin Jones on May 19th and we need all hands on deck to push for clemency. In this case, the victim’s family is also Quin’s family. Family members are asking that Quin’s life be spared. @GovAbbott should respect their wishes: https://www.clemencyforquin.com/
PLEASE sign this petition for Quinn’s clemency and read more about his story at link in our bio. I want to live in a world where people can change, heal, forgive, move forward and contribute light after darkness. Quin’s created light for years. Thread for more #ClemencyForQuin
Last week, the Fifth Circuit affirmed dismissal of Rodney Reed’s federal lawsuit demanding that Texas officials allow DNA testing of evidence that could prove his innocence. The decision shows how the legal system values rule-following over real justice.
Please join me for this engaging discussion tomorrow at noon ET. @itsjasonflom and I will be speaking about human rights activism and why I feel that being kind in an unjust system is not enough. Hope to see you! Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7NEO8x3US_OI8ijmi_gyow
This decision is out of step with the law and with the science on brain development in young people:
US supreme court declines to limit life without parole sentences for minors
Ruling breaks with precedents and illustrates the impact of Donald Trump’s appointments of three conservative judges
www.theguardian.com
This Earth Day, April 22, 4 pm PST, follow Mary M Clare and Gary Ferguson, authors of the new book Full Ecology, on a virtual adventure in America's Wild to uncover the brilliance and promise of our place in the world. Practical and poetic, scientific and spiritual, this cross-geographical adventure offers a chance to stop, reflect, and re-energize our connections to human nature and rediscover the guiding lights that rest in our relationships.
I’ll be on #Appeal Live with Rep. @ayannapressley this afternoon to talk about how @potus can quickly and permanently end the federal death penalty. 1 pm ET, streaming live on Twitter and Facebook — hope you’ll join us!
We have lost one of the anchors of the movement to abolish the death penalty. Bill Pelke passed away yesterday after suffering a heart attack while shoveling snow at his home in Anchorage, Alaska. I will have more to say soon about Bill’s incredible legacy of anti-death penalty activism and advocacy for murder victims’ families, but for now my thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and fellow activists. This is a profound loss for our movement.
Robert Fisher was wounded in Vietnam and received a Purple Heart medal from President Lyndon Johnson. Today, Robert is in his seventies, suffering with PTSD and other mental health conditions, and preparing for his third re-trial after years on Pennsylvania’s death row. #veteransday
#veteransday
Fair Wayne Bryant was sentenced to life in prison for stealing hedge clippers. This type of unjust, harsh punishment dates all the way back to racist laws enacted during Reconstruction. Fair had a parole hearing yesterday where he was represented by the great Louisiana @paroleproject. After the parole board considered everything, Fair was granted parole and released from prison yesterday afternoon!
Today marks the 20th Anniversary of the opening of Dead Man Walking at the San Francisco Opera, with libretto by the late, great Terrence McNally and music by my friend Jake Heggie.
I’m deeply saddened to hear that Justice Ginsburg has passed away. She was a trailblazer in the truest sense. I will always treasure the time I spent with her when the Kennedy Center performed the opera of Dead Man Walking a few years ago. Our nation is the poorer for her loss.
I have 10 hardcover copies of Kendi’s deeply rewarding “How to be an Antiracist”. If you would like a copy, donate at least $50 to a bail fund of your choice and send your receipt plus mailing address to rachael@sisterhelen.org. We’ll send a copy to the first 10 people to do.
Want to meet me on a Zoom call AND support a great cause? You can even bring along 3 of your friends! Bid now on @Charitybuzz and help @ACLU_SoCal defend and preserve the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and US laws. Search “Sister Helen Prejean” on Charitybuzz.com. Thanks for your support of this incredible organization!
This Thursday, I'll be in conversation with Tessie Castillo and Lyle May on Crimson Letters: Voices from Death Row. The topic is "Why is it so hard to hold criminal justice actors - law enforcement, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges - accountable?" There are three following events. Please join us! Link is in my bio.
A Message from Sister Helen’s Staff:
I will be introducing this event because I share Full Ecology’s interest in returning humans to our deep kinship with nature. A Live Q&A will follow the event.
As Jake says: "It was a transformative moment for so many people - for the field of American Opera - and certainly for me, personally and professionally. Since then, the opera has received 70 productions (more than 350 performances) all over the world to become the most-performed new American opera."
The first photo shows me with Jake at the premiere. The second, also taken at the premiere, is of the "four nuns": me, Susan Sarandon (who played me in the film), Susan Graham (who sang my part in the opera), and that other famous 'nun', Julie Andrews!
Today is Sr. Helen’s birthday! This past year has been full of surprises and moments of grace. It’s good people like you who share Sr. Helen’s hope to see a world without executions that keep her going. Please share any birthday wishes in the comments and we’ll make sure they get to her.
