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Archives
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Dead
Man Walking --> Calendar
of Events
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Spring
2004
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| May 3, 4
pm: Robert
Meeropol Lecture “AN EXECUTION
IN THE FAMILY" |
2203
Art-Sociology Building
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In
1953, when Robert Meeropol was six years old,
the United States Government executed his parents
for “conspiring to steal the secret of
the atomic bomb.” Ethel & Julius
Rosenberg left behind a legacy that was both
a burden and a gift to their younger son. Meeropol
has memorialized the 50th anniversary of his
parents’ death in a new book, AN EXECUTION
IN THE FAMILY and in a series of talks across
the country that examine the parallels between
McCarthyism and Ashcroftism. |
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.Event
sponsored by the Campaign to End the Death Penalty
(CEDP) at UMD.
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| April
11, 8
pm: Premiere
Cable Movie: "Redemption" |
FX
Channel (available at the UMD dorms through Comcast
at channel
33)
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| Redemption,
an FX Original Movie honored in January at the
prestigious 2004 Sundance Film Festival, is based
on the true story of Stan “Tookie” Williams,
co-founder of the infamous Crips street gang in
Los Angeles. The film depicts how his time in jail
inspired him to help inner-city youth by writing
children’s books, which in turn earned him
three Nobel Prize nominations. |
"Tookie",
who has been in death row for 22 years, collaborated
with the First Year Book Program this year and
his image and story have become very familiar
to UM community members through the WebCT site
for "Dead Man Walking".
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The
movie stars Jamie Foxx as Williams, with Lynn
Whitfield co-starring as
Barbara Becnel, the woman who befriended Williams and helped him
secure a book deal to spread his word of peace. Rounding out the
cast is CCH Pounder as Winnie Mandela, Brenden Jefferson as the
young Stan Williams and Lee Thompson Young as Charles Becnel.
Join
us in a discussion about the movie in the Resources
site Forum in WebCT (access restricted to UMD
students and instructors). Contact Isa Angulo <iangulo@deans.umd.edu> if
you have trouble login in the space.
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| April 5, 7
pm: Panel
Discussion: “From California to
Louisiana to Maryland: The Struggle to End Executions” |
2203
Art-Sociology Building
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Panel
participants (from left to right): Virginia Simmons,
Shujaa Graham, Jay Nikerson, Kristi Elliot, and
Monique Matthews.
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- Monique
Matthews - Sister of Ryan Matthews,
sentenced to Louisiana's death row as a 17-year
old, despite DNA evidence linking another
to the crime.
- Shujaa
Graham -
Former
California
death
row
inmate
and
Black
Panther
Party
member
- Jay
Nickerson -
Attorney
for
death
row
inmates
in
Pennsylvania,
Maryland
and
South
Carolina,
including
the
last
man
executed
in
Maryland,
Tyrone
X
Gilliam.
- Virginia
Simmons -
DC/MD
Student
Coordinator
of
the
Campaign
to
End
the
Death
Penalty;
Steering
Committee
member
of
Amnesty
International's
Program
to
Abolish
the
Death
Penalty.
- Live
from
death
row -
an
inmate
will
address
the
audience
and
their
questions
via
speakerphone.
- Kristi
Elliott -
UMD
student
who
toured
Maryland's
death
row
and
execution
facilities.
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Support
for the death penalty in the United States is
at its lowest point since the 80's. After 9/11
and the sniper attacks this may come to many
as a surprise, but anyone who learns about the
case of Ryan Matthews will know why so many are
fed up with the system of capital punishment.
The "Struggle to End Executions" panel
and discussion at UMD is part of a national tour
highlighting the case of Ryan Matthews and featuring
Ryan's family members. While the Ryan Matthews
case underlines many of the very worst aspects
of the death penalty, his case is not unique.
Racism, class bias and injustice run rampant
throughout the United States of America's death
penalty system. <READ
MORE>
Join us for the discussion of these and other pressing death penalty
issues, including the effort to end executions in Maryland. Event
co-sponsored by ACLU-UM, Amnesty International-UMCP, and Campaign
to End the Death Penalty (CEDP) at UMD.
Contact Information:
John Coursey (johncoursey@hotmail.com)
CEDP
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| March 15, 12-1
pm: Mock
Execution => Event
Cancelled <= |
Hornbake
Mall
|
Street
theater includes a dramatic reading of the play Not
In My Name.
Organize:
Amnesty
International-UMCP,
ACLU-UM,
and
the
Campaing
to
End
the
DP |
|
| March 15, 6
- 8:30pm: Letter
writing |
1124
Jimenez
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Letter
writing against the Death Penalty and Violence
Against Women.Food will be provided!
Organize: Amnesty International-UMCP, ACLU-UM
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| March 17, 1
pm: Lobby
Day |
Annapolis
|
A
group of students will go to Annapolis and lobby
from 3-6 pm against the Death Penalty and in favor
of the bill for a moratorium on executions.
With the participation of Amnesty International-UMCP, ACLU-UM, CEDP,
and the Black Student Union. |
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|
Recent
Events - Fall 2003
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| November |
20, |
4-6
pm |
Death
Penalty Forum |
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Tydings
1101 |
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Participants:
Christopher Morris (Philosophy) and Paul Rosenzweig
(Heritage Foundation), who will defend the death
penalty; and Mark Graber (Government and Politics)
and Judith Lichtenberg (Department of Philosophy
and Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy),
who will defend the anti-death penalty position.
After 15-20 minutes of presentation of each position,
questions and discussion will follow.
Judith Lichtenberg judith@umd.edu (X5-4755) |
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| November |
18, |
8-12:30pm |
Tour
of MD Death Row and Execution Facilities |
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Maryland
Penitentiary, Baltimore |
| |
Visit*
to the Super Maximum Security facilities where
death row inmates are housed, the execution/transition
center for inmates to be executed and time
for question/answer with a prison chaplain
who has served as a spiritual advisor to an
inmate already executed and with officials
overseeing the execution process. Contact Jeffrey
Buffkin, Chaplain
*
Limited to the 14 first students
to sign up.
|
| Press |
The
Diamondback (11/20/03)
A
date with death row By
Daina Klimanis |
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| November |
18, |
1:00
pm |
Lt.
Governor Michael Steele |
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=>
Program Cancelled <= |
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| November |
18, |
6-8
pm |
Coffee & Politics
- Capital Punishment |
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1102
South Campus Commons |
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Intellectual
and candid dialogue with your peers and select
faculty members. Coffee and dessert was served.
Contact Heidi
Bludau (x4-6620) by November 17. |
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| November |
13, |
12
noon |
Sister
Helen Prejean
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Tawes
Theater |
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The
author of Dead Man Walking was on campus
to discuss her book and her involvement as an
advisor to inmates on death row. The event was
co-sponsored by the Provost's Conversations on
Diversity, Democracy and Higher Education, and
Dean's Office for Undergraduate Studies |
(click
to enlarge) |
Sister
Helen signed exemplars of her book after
the event. A long line of students standed
paciently to have the opportunity to
interact briefly with her.
MORE
PICTURES
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| Notes
from the event by Lisa
Kiely |
The
University community was fortunate to have Sister
Helen Prejean,
author, Dead Man Walking, visit the campus on Thursday, November
13th, 2003. Speaking to a full house (1300+) of students and faculty
members in Tawes theatre, Sister Helen spoke of her journey over
the past two decades into the world of anti-death penalty activism-
a tragic, humbling and inspiring story about a cause that has shaped
her life. Changes in our society with regard to human rights, she
believes, will come about due to the work of young people, many
of whom were sitting in the audience today. |
| Press |
The
Diamondback (11/17/03)
A
life Devoted to the Comdemned by
Austin Chow |
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October
|
29,
|
6:30
pm
|
Maryland
State Attorneys to Discuss the Death Penalty
at UM |
| 2203
Art-Sociology Building |
| |
Doug
Gansler is currently serving his 2nd
term as Montgomery County's State Attorney.
Glenn
Ivey is
the
current
State
Attorney
for
Prince
George's
County.
The
event
was
moderated
by
Dr.
Charles
Wellford,
Chair
of
the
UMD
Department
of
Criminology
and
Criminal
Justice. |
(click
to enlarge) |
The
speakers answered questions from the
audience.
MORE
PICTURES
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| Notes
from the event by Lisa
Kiely |
On
Wednesday, October 29th, the University of
Maryland explored the issues in the first year
book, Dead Man Walking, from a local
political perspective. Dough Gansler (Mont
Co) and Glenn Ivey (PG Co) provided an overview
of the sentencing procedures in capital cases.
Both Attorneys called for the continual evaluation
of the death penalty to be certain that it
is used only for the most egregious crimes.
Student's questions raised issues of fairness
with regard to race and class, geography, and
implications for the society as a whole. Dr.
Charles Wellford, Chair of the Department of
Criminology, moderated the session. Approximately
150 students attended.
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September
|
30,
|
12:30
pm
|
Death
Penalty Roundtable |
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0234
Architecture Lecture Hall |
| Themes
from Dead Man Walking were examined within context
of civil rights and civil liberties in core class,
American Government, and Politics. Roundtable
featured experts from the State of Maryland. |
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October
|
14,
|
7:00
pm
|
Movie: Dead
Man Walking, sponsored by the University
of Maryland Chaplains |
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|
|
Hoff
Theatre, Stamp Student Union |
The
Chaplains leaded a discussion on the death
penalty after the film showing.
|
Chaplain
Jeffrey Buffkin leads one of the discussion
groups |
| Notes
from the event by Lisa
Kiely |
| On
Tuesday, October 14, approximately 300 members
of the University of Maryland community came
to the Hoff theatre to view the movie, "Dead
Man Walking." When it was over, four of
the University Chaplains-Holly Ulmer (United
Campus Ministry), Peter Antoci (Episcopal/Anglican),
Jeffrey Buffkin (Baptist), Kim Capps (United
Methodist)-facilitated a discussion with over
100 first year students who remained. Disucssion
issues included: faither, forgiveness and the
role of one's religion on the issue of capital
punishment; how the characters responded to the
crisis at hand during the evolution of the final
week of Patrick Sonnier's life; what is forgiveness-
who learned to forgive in this movie; and the
impact the movie or book on one's own feelings
about the death penalty. Special thanks to the
Chaplains for sponsoring this program. For more
information, please contact Jeffrey Buffkin, jbuffkin@umd.edu,
301-405-8443. |
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October
|
16,
|
7:00
pm
|
"Innocent
On Death Row" panel put on by the Campaign
to End the Death Penalty at UMD |
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0116
Armory |
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Shujaa
Graham is an exonerated death row
inmate from California, former Black Panther
Party member, and long-time activist against
the death penalty.
Mike Stark is the regional coordinator of the Campaign
to End the Death Penalty. |
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