Harness the Joy PDF Print E-mail
April 12, 2012

Late last night Connecticut's House of Representatives joined the Connecticut Senate in voting to make Connecticut the seventeenth state to say no to death. The repeal bill awaits the governor's signature, which is expected soon.

If, like us, you are thrilled with the victory in Connecticut and want to keep the momentum going please give $35 to PFADP – one dollar for each remaining death penalty state (plus the federal government and military death penalty). You could, alternatively, could give $17 – one dollar for every abolitionist state.

Please harness the joy of the moment and spend a little on it right now by donating here. Our staff and volunteers will put it to good use.

Seventeen months ago we stood on the altar of Martin Luther King's church in Atlanta, Ebenezer Baptist, joined by clergy and abolition leaders from more than 20 states. We declared the death penalty's time expired, a moral and practical failure. We pledged to work to unbind our country from the death penalty in what is clearly a kairos, opportune moment for our movement. We launched PFADP's Kairos Campaign to Mobilize Religious Action to Repeal America's Death Penalty. Last fall, I was arrested for nonviolently protesting Georgia's execution of Troy Davis, vowing to keep up the struggle to end the death penalty.

Now we are busy facilitating more religious leaders in becoming strategically engaged with the abolition movement and in bringing about more and more political shifts towards abolition. We are raising the death penalty on religious organizations' agendas, providing coordination among faith communities and abolition groups, and giving religious communities the ability to take concrete action. We are enacting and coordinating our work with state and national abolition groups to strategically move targeted states towards abolition by generating unprecedented levels of support from the religious community.

Your gift will support PFADP's national Kairos Campaign and new and ongoing projects in a dozen states working with local organizers to expand bases of support, including the following examples:
  • Nationwide – Building Kairos Campaign task forces within denominations
  • Colorado – Mobilizing religious support for repeal
  • Ohio – Clemency for Mark Wiles (denied yesterday), and mobilizing religious support for repeal
  • Maryland – Mobilizing religious support for repeal
  • North Carolina – Grassroots mobilizing for repeal and sustaining the Racial Justice Act
  • Missouri – Clemency for Reggie Clemons (Religious leaders click here, lay people of faith click here)
  • Pennsylvania – Mobilizing religious support for repeal
  • Your State – We stand ready to help
If you would like help starting or expanding similar campaigns in your state let us know.

In the meantime please take a moment and donate $35 or $17 or whatever you can for us together to build the most of this kairos moment and replicate Connecticut's success and witness.

In gratitude and blessing,

Stephen Dear
Executive Director

P.S. We intend to use your tax-deductible gift to invite at least 10 congregations in your state to join PFADP. Thank you!
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