The public is invited to Georgetown College to hear the remarkable story of Anthony Ray Hinton, who spent 27 years in prison and was facing execution – for a crime he did not commit. Arrested simply because he was black, prosecutors chose to charge and convict him for multiple murders. Hinton, this year’s guest speaker for the Danford Thomas Memorial Lecture Series, will describe his experience of finding life and freedom on death row and discuss the work he does with the Equal Justice Initiative on Thursday, April 7 at 6 p.m. in the John Hill Chapel. at Georgetown College. The event and parking are free.
Throughout his imprisonment, Hinton firmly proclaimed his innocence of the murders. After more than two and a half decades of incarceration, he was released from death row in Alabama in 2015.
Hinton is one of 152 former prisoners who have been removed from death row by the Equal Justice initiative which provides legal aid to those incarcerated. In the United States, about one in ten people on death row are innocent. Hinton notes that this is a shocking error rate when the consequence is death. The impact of policies based on racism has profound effects on the world and on history.
The Danford Thomas Memorial Lectureship was established in 1920 by Thomas’s family to bring public interest lecturers to the College. Notable past speakers include Admiral Richard E. Byrd, Helen Keller, Arthur Hailey, Sam Donaldson and Tony Campolo, among many other distinguished individuals.
Danford_Thomas_Anthony_Ray_Hinton_poster_nocrop.pdf During the Danford Thomas Memorial Lecture, Hinton will tell his engaging story of survival, friendship, and moral tenacity as recorded in the bestselling book, The sun is shining. Copies of the book will be available at the conference.
