In the month of September, Epworth’s Wednesday evening Zoom prayer/fellowship group will focus upon issues related to the criminal justice system. Following recent months devoted to the issues of racism and homelessness, these discussions will allow for an up-close, faith-based look at issues of justice surrounding sentencing, incarceration, and other pressing concerns.
We will kick-off this theme on Wednesday, September 8th, in a very special way. That evening, group members — and any interested members of the Epworth community — will begin the evening by watching live as Sister Helen Prejean addresses the PaxChristi Justice Speakers Series. It is free, but registration is required to receive the Zoom information. Sister Helen is an amazing speaker, and this opportunity to “attend” her talk on September 8th will surely inspire us deeply for the discussions that will fill the remaining Wednesday evenings in September. Immediately after watching Sister Helen, we will gather briefly via Zoom for prayer.
Here is more information about Sister Helen’s presentation, including the link to register:
PAX CHRISTI JUSTICE SPEAKER SERIES
Featuring Sr. Helen Prejean
Wednesday, September 8 at 7:00pm, via Zoom
Please register in order to receive the Zoom invitation.
Sister Helen Prejean is known around the world for her tireless work against the death penalty. Her 1993 book, Dead Man Walking, ignited a national debate on capital punishment and spawned an Academy Award-winning movie, a play, and an opera. Her most recently published book is River of Fire: On Becoming an Activist, and she is currently working on her fourth book, Riding the Wild River.
We are delighted to welcome Sr. Helen to speak to us regarding her experience in standing for the life and dignity of all people. All are welcome. This is a Zoom event.
On the remaining weeks in September, the group will read and discuss the recently-published book My Time Will Come by Ian Manuel (with a foreword written by Bryan Stevenson). Here is a summary of this amazing memoir:
The inspiring story of activist and poet Ian Manuel, who at the age of fourteen was sentenced to life in prison. He survived eighteen years in solitary confinement—through his own determination and dedication to art—until he was freed as part of an incredible crusade by the Equal Justice Initiative.
“Ian is magic. His story is difficult and heartbreaking, but he takes us places we need to go to understand why we must do better. He survives by relying on a poetic spirit, an unrelenting desire to succeed, to recover, and to love. Ian’s story says something hopeful about our future.” —Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy
The United States is the only country in the world that sentences thirteen- and fourteen-year-old offenders, mostly youth of color, to life in prison without parole. In 1991, Ian Manuel, then fourteen, was sentenced to life without parole for a non-homicide crime. In a botched mugging attempt with some older boys, he shot a young white mother of two in the face. But as Bryan Stevenson, attorney and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, has insisted, none of us should be judged by only the worst thing we have ever done.
Capturing the fullness of his humanity, here is Manuel’s powerful testimony of growing up homeless in a neighborhood riddled with poverty, gang violence, and drug abuse—and of his efforts to rise above his circumstances, only to find himself, partly through his own actions, imprisoned for two-thirds of his life, eighteen years of which were spent in solitary confinement. Here is the story of how he endured the savagery of the United States prison system, and how his victim, an extraordinary woman, forgave him and bravely advocated for his freedom, which was achieved by an Equal Justice Initiative push to address the barbarism of our judicial system and bring about “just mercy.”
Full of unexpected twists and turns as it describes a struggle for redemption, My Time Will Come is a paean to the capacity of the human will to transcend adversity through determination and art—in Ian Manuel’s case, through his dedication to writing poetry.
All are invited to participate in what promises to be a month of meaningful, faith-fueled discussion!
