Sister Helen on Social Media
Our staff usually gathers the day after a fundraiser to write thank you notes/emails. (Griffin gets a pass because he’s in New Mexico). This year, because we’re working remotely, we’re going to be a little tardy with those notes and I apologize in advance. We are truly thankful for each and every gift; they are the life blood of our work.
Sending you some lupin love!
PS. If you missed your chance to donate yesterday, you can make a donation any time at https://sisterhelen.org
There's still time to join in on our Giving Tuesday fundraiser if you haven't yet donated. Just go to https://sisterhelen.org/donate.
As a little thank you, let me share a photo of a goose in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden in New Orleans' City Park. I believe it's keeping its watchful eye on our criminal justice system.
Twice a year I come to you to ask for your financial help. Our small team at the Ministry Against the Death Penalty does outsized work, not only directly but also indirectly, acting as a conduit, megaphone and network point for abolitionist organizations, prison reform groups, defense lawyers, and others seeking criminal justice reform. Without your contributions, this work would not be possible.
https://sisterhelen.org/donate
A couple of people have reported problems donating on that page. If you have trouble donating there, you can donate via Paypal here: https://www.sisterhelen.org/donate-via-paypal/
In April, the SCOTUS got rid of non-unanimous jury verdicts. Today, the Court will hear argument about applying this rule retroactively. I pray the Justices will do right by the Constitution and grant relief to those convicted when at least one juror disagreed with the verdict.
As we see more and more breaking news about presidential pardons, remember that this is all happening at the same time that the outgoing Trump administration is rushing to execute as many people as possible right up to the eve of Inauguration Day.
The National Catholic Prayer Breakfast presented AG Barr with an award for “Christlike behavior” on the day between two federal executions that he ordered. Now Barr’s DOJ wants to hurry through five more executions and is willing to use firing squads and poison gas if necessary.
It’s no surprise to me that the Justice Department wants to use firing squads and poison gas to carry out federal executions. This is the callous, brute force mentality of the Trump administration put into the starkest terms.
Today is Giving Tuesday.
Twice a year I come to you to ask for your financial help. Our small team at the Ministry Against the Death Penalty does outsized work. https://sisterhelen.org/donate
Read through the entire thread. AG Barr wants Brandon Bernard executed on December 10 (Human Rights Day).
Our government should not be executing people. The death penalty is always wrong. https://twitter.com/ScottHech/status/1330998214607167493
Brandon Bernard. Sentenced to death at 18 as an accomplice. Attorneys declined opening statements. Called no witnesses at penalty stage. 11 of 12 jurors were white. 5 of them now don't want death. His prosecutor has called for mercy. Bill Barr wants him executed on Dec. 10. More:
Murder victims’ families need support - counseling, financial assistance, a legal system that actually listens, and more. The death penalty does nothing to address these very real needs and often makes things worse.
The European Union expresses its deep concern over the latest federal death row executions in the United States on 19 November, the first-ever during a presidential transition. https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage_en/89103/US:%20Statement%20by%20the%20Spokesperson%20on%20the%20federal%20executions
We all should be paying more attention to the killing spree that @TheJusticeDept is currently engaging in, fitting in all the federal executions that it can before @JoeBiden is inaugurated in January. The death penalty must end, everywhere and forever. https://twitter.com/helenprejean/status/1329943528676360192
AG Barr just set three more federal execution dates in addition to the two already scheduled in December. The federal government just executed Orlando Hall last night. If Barr gets his way, six people will be executed between Election Day and Inauguration Day. This is a disgrace.
AG Barr just set three more federal execution dates in addition to the two already scheduled in December. The federal government just executed Orlando Hall last night. If Barr gets his way, six people will be executed between Election Day and Inauguration Day. This is a disgrace.
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:
Here’s some Zoom humor for your enjoyment!
Here I am – live from my apartment in New Orleans! My team's got me all set up with Zoom.
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.
