Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 9.18.19

                      Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 9.18.19

And yes, we continue to be very excited about the launch of the exhibit, including a presentation by Dr. Katie Owens-Murphy which will be at Collier Library on UNA's campus at 7:30 pm on Sept 20. Advisory Board Member Gary Drinkard who was a member of our Board while on death row at Holman and who introduced Dr. Katie Owens-Murphy to our organization will be in attendance. Here is a preview of Ghosts over the Boiler named after one of Darrell Grayson’s poems. It is a OnCell tour which you can take by clicking on this link: msnha.oncell.com – and then clicking on "Ghosts Over the Boiler".

 The exhibit itself will be up through the end of October. Dr. Katie Owens-Murphy named the exhibit after Darrell's poem: "Ghosts Over the Boiler: Voices from Alabama's Death Row." We are also proud to report that our posters made at Holman have been received by Dr. Katie Owens-Murphy and pronounced to be “ magnificent!!!” They will be framed, placed in display cases so that they can be featured prominently in the exhibit!

We're happy to be able to share our Summer/Fall 2019 edition of our newsletter, On Wings of Hope, with you can now also read on line thanks to our Development Officer Brandon Fountain. The digital version is available on our website. We hope you enjoy the stories we have to tell. http://phadp.org/?q=node/790

Our Executive Director did attend the hour long meeting between The Alabama State NAACP and Governor Ivey. Topics were issues of high importance to all living in this state. We went around the table to introduce ourselves and in addition to role with the NAACP, current as well as past jobs and relevant affiliations were stated. In order to preclude the simplistic reaction of closure to clemency concerns I stated murder victim’s family member. At the end of the meeting I requested a short exchange about the Governor’s opportunity to right wrongs by granting clemency. To the Governor’s answer of “long appeals”, I pointed out that not only can “innocence come too late’ because of issues being time barred but that poverty and race play a huge role as to who ends up on death row. We feel that it needed to be said, whether it was heard or not.

Congratulations to Dr. Chris Brown who was invited to be part of the “Cast No Stones” conference in Columbus, OH next month. Dr. Brown is the son of Gary Brown who was the initiator of our Christian Perspectives and who was executed in 2003. We believe Chris will be a huge asset to the conference.

Yesterday an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a report ranking Alabama among the worst court systems in the country. No surprise but good that it is out there!

We continue to thank anonymous donors who gave by going to our website and using the “donate” button and of course also those who gave directly. We thank all who believe in what we do and stand with us. You make a difference!

                                                                 Esther