Sister Helen on Social Media

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
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:
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.