Saint Joseph’s College sponsors a lecture on capital punishment on Tuesday, May 3, when Sister Helen Prejean delivers her talk, “Dead Man Walking: The Journey Continues” at 7 p.m. in the Viola George Auditorium of Harold Alfond Hall on campus.
Sister Prejean is the author of “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the U.S.,” which was on the New York Times best-sellers list for 31 weeks and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Her book was made into a motion picture, which was adapted and directed by Tim Robbins. Susan Sarandon received best actress in 1996 at the Academy Awards for her portrayal of Sister Prejean in “Dead Man Walking.” Her book has been translated into 12 languages and has been made into an opera by the San Francisco Opera Company.
Sister Helen Prejean has lived and worked in Louisiana all her life. She joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medialle in 1957. In 1981 she worked at the St. Thomas Housing Project with poor inner-city residents and began counseling death row inmates in the Louisiana State Penitentiary, a ministry she continues today. She has accompanied six men to their death by execution. She also works with murder victims’ families and founded a group in New Orleans called Survive.
ABC did a special on Sister Prejean on “Prime Time Live,” PBS featured her on “Frontline” and BBS did a special on her on “Everyman” called “Angel of Death Row.” She has been interviewed on many television and radio programs about the death penalty. She is honorary chairperson of Hands of Cain, an international group based in Rome working for abolition of death penalty, a member of Amnesty International and the U.S. National Coalition to abolish the Death Penalty, where she served as a board member for 10 years. She is the founder of Moratorium Campaign, a group working towards a moratorium at the state and national level. She is the author of a recently released book titled “Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions.”
The lecture is part of Saint Joseph’s Distinguished Lecture Series, which aims to have societal issues discussed from a Catholic perspective.
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