Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 9.25.19

                      Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 9.25.19

It happened! The eagerly anticipated day which launched the exhibit, including a presentation by Dr. Katie Owens-Murphy and Gary Drinkard, arrived and took place at Collier Library on UNA's campus at 7:30 pm on Friday. It was a tremendous success! We couldn’t be more grateful and proud! Thank you Dr. Katie Owens-Murphy for all the hard work that made this happen and thank you for your extraordinary thinking outside the box which gave birth to this! 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. Thank you too, Gary Drinkard for never forgetting us!

But here is a direct quote from Dr. Katie Owens-Murphy: Thank you to all of the students, faculty, staff, and community members who came out last night to learn more about Alabama's death row and the work of Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty in Alabama. Thank you, Gary Drinkard-- the 93rd of 166 exonerees-- for your bravery and for continuing to advocate for those who are still on death row. If you missed the talk, you can still see the physical exhibit in Collier Library and take the OnCell tour: https://msnha.oncell.com/…/ghosts-over-the-boiler-voices-fr…

Our cards of appreciation to both Dr. Katie Owens-Murphy and to Gary Drinkard are on their way!

A recent study on race disparities found that defendants convicted of killing white victims in Georgia are 17 times more likely to be executed than those convicted of murdering black victims. This new study done by researchers at the University of Denver also found that the problem of discrimination is worsened by the appeal process. There is no doubt that those findings would also hold true for Alabama, perhaps even more so.

In closing we would like to wish Happy Birthday to Greg Speltz a long time supporter and friend who is about to celebrate 96 years of generosity and commitment. Thank you Greg for your many years of friendship!

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