Pejepscot History Center is hosting the fourth annual Chamberlain Legacy Lecture on the topic of “Selective Justice: The Death Penalty and Race.” The presentation is at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept, 6, at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 1 Middle St., Brunswick.
Alicia Cepeda Maule. Courtesy of Pejepscot History Center
This year’s speakers are Alicia Cepeda Maule, digital director at the Innocence Project, and Bangor Daily News journalist Troy R. Bennett.
“Selective Justice” takes a deep dive into the history of capital punishment in Maine, Joshua Chamberlain’s decision during his time as governor to send a Black man to the gallows and society’s ongoing inequities in the criminal justice system.
“We are privileged to have two high-profile speakers for this year’s program,” PHC Executive Director Larissa Vigue Picard said in a prepared release. “Troy’s 2022 Bangor Daily News series on Maine’s history with the death penalty provides an incredible segue to having Alicia talk about how the world-famous Innocence Project has worked for more than 30 years to exonerate the innocent and bring more equity to the justice system.”
Troy Bennett. Courtesy of Pejepscot History Center
Bennett is a Buxton native and longtime Portland resident whose photojournalism has appeared in media outlets all over the world.
A Brown University graduate, Maule has led the Innocence Project’s digital team since 2015. She is passionate about ending the death penalty and led the digital strategy campaigns that supported the litigation and communications efforts of several death row clients. Previously, she was a social media and community editor at msnbc.com and a digital organizer on President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.
The Innocence Project, founded in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufield, works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone.
Tickets to the lecture are $15 for the general public, $10 for PHC members, and $5 for students and active military. The program will also be available via livestream at a cost of $5 for all. Tickets are available at pejepscothistorical.org or by calling 729-6606.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Join the Conversation
We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It’s a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. Read more...
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
For those stories that we do enable discussion, our system may hold up comments pending the approval of a moderator for several reasons, including possible violation of our guidelines. As the Maine Trust’s digital team reviews these comments, we ask for patience.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday and limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs.
You can modify your screen name here.
Show less
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.