Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.
— Desmond Tutu.
There have been many moments of darkness this year for Florida’s death penalty, but at the end of last month, FADP was proud to participate in sharing some light at Cities for Life Events across the State.
As a reminder, CIties for Life was started in 2002 by the Community of Sant’ Egidio, a lay Catholic association and global leader in death penalty abolition. Each year on November 30, the Coliseum in Rome is lit up, and an estimated 2,000 cities in more than 80 countries around the Globe celebrate the first abolition of the death penalty, which happened in Tuscany in 1786.
In Daytona Beach, Father Phil Egitto, and FADP Board Members Herman Lindsey and Clemente Aguirre spoke at Our Lady of Lourdes’ Catholic Church. Both Herman and Clemente shared their compelling exoneration stories. You can watch the entire event here.
I had the honor of joining Andy and Kate Grosmaire, Bishop William Wack and nearly 200 people in Tallahassee at Good Shepherd Catholic Church’s Cities for Life Celebration. I spoke about all of the challenges we faced this year and how our supporters can help with our 2024 commitment to tell the truth about Florida’s death penalty. View the full event here.
How can you help FADP going into the new year?
- Make a contribution to FADP today. We are 62% of the way toward our end-of-year fundraising goal. Help us reach the summit – and remember that all donations up to $15,000 from now until the end of the year will be matched by a generous donor.
- Make sure that your contact information is updated and accurate. If your address has changed or there’s something else about you you want us to know, we want to hear from you!
- Be sure to follow us on social media: follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok; like us on Facebook; join our Facebook group; and subscribe to our YouTube Channel.
- Are you a member of a community organization? Are they interested in criminal justice reform and in having a conversation about how the death penalty harms ALL Floridians? Contact us at [email protected] and we can provide resources and speakers for your community events.
As I told the parishioners at Good Shepherd, my primary ask of you for 2024 is to be that person who never stops talking about the death penalty. To refuse to be silent about how wrong our state leaders are about the death penalty. To continue to stand up together and say: “Not in Our Name.”