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Dear friends:
Tuesday, May 4 is GiveNOLA Day, our biggest fundraising event of the year. I come to you just twice each year to get direct support for our work to end the death penalty (the other time is Giving Tuesday in November). I love GiveNOLA Day, because it's a day when people throughout the community come together en masse to support the work of nonprofits like us.
If you'd like to show your support, click the graphic above to donate, or go to the GiveNOLA home page and type MADP in the Find Your Cause box. Feel free to donate today, or any time on Tuesday, May 4.
To give you an idea of the valuable work your donation does, here's a recap on what we at the Ministry Against the Death Penalty having been doing in the past year.
In a word: reinventing! When I wrote you this time last year, it was early on in the pandemic. Until the advent of Covid, we had been an organization built around in-person talks. Today, we're a bloomin' Zoomin' powerhouse. In the past 10 months or so I've done over 140 classes, keynotes, webinars and podcasts. I've done more interviews with the media than I could ever have done in the past when I was constantly on the road (a large number of those interviews focused on the shocking rash of Federal executions in the last year of Trump's administration.)
I didn't want to stay home. I love the energy that comes from interacting with people when I'm on the road, but it's good to know that our work is just as effective now as before. Virginia abolished the death penalty. Virginia! The first Southern state to do so. And the Nevada Assembly voted this April to follow suit, although hurdles remain, and jumping those hurdles is just a tiny part of the work ahead of us.
This work to end the death penalty is accomplished by a network of groups, on the ground and across the nation, supported by people like you who care about the dignity of all humans.
I hope this letter finds you safe, vaccinated and healthy (and if your health could do with improvement, I pray you have a supportive network surrounding you).
With heartfelt thanks,
PS. This year we have not one but two generous donors who are going to match the funds we receive on GiveNOLA Day. So donate and the dollars you give will be multiplied.
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'Sister' now available for download!
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Sister is here! The film by Joe Cardona and José L. Vázquez documents the influences that shaped Sister Helen's path from a cloistered environment to a vocal advocate for justice.
We originally planned to make the documentary available on DVD after its showings on PBS, but we've decided to go new tech instead of old.
So get together with your class, or parish, or friends, or neighbors, or your whole community and watch Sister together. Available for download now.
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Upcoming Executions
Although Federal executions are back on hold, there are still states continuing to execute their citizens. Here, courtesy of the Death Penalty Information Center, is a list of those that are near at hand.
| May 14 |
PA |
Paul Gamboa-Taylor |
| May 19 |
TX |
Quintin Jones |
| June 30 |
TX |
John Hummel |
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