National anti-death penalty advocate Sister Helen Prejean visited Kansas last week to help raise awareness of death penalty abolition work in the state.
During her visit, Sr. Helen attended a staged reading of the play Dead Man Walking, based on her book of the same name, at Washburn University. Following the reading, Sr. Helen led a discussion with more than 200 people in attendance about the Kansas death penalty and the affect the process can have on those involved, from the families of the victims and the incarcerated to the attorneys, jurors and judges in the court room.
Sr. Helen also attended a luncheon hosted by the Washburn Law School Center for Excellence in Advocacy where she spoke to about 90 students, faculty and legislators.
Sr. Helen meet with legislators, faith leaders and members of the media during her visit to discuss pending death penalty abolition legislation and what it will take to end the death penalty in Kansas.
“It’s not going to take that much for Kansas to get rid of the death penalty if one thing happens,” Sr. Helen said during her discussion at Washburn University. “It’s you. The people have to start writing those letters and calling up those legislators.”
If you were moved by Sr. Helen’s words, we’d love to hear from you! To find out about how to get involved in our movement please contact KCADP at info@ksabolition.org or call (785) 235-2237.
You can read the Topeka Capital-Journal’s coverage Sr. Helen’s visit here.
Photo credit: Sara Rogness. Published with permission.