Standing Against Injustice

Dear Friends,

This week has exposed how race and injustice continue to play a central role in our country’s administration of the death penalty. Just days ago, Khaliifah Ibn Rayford Daniels (also known as Marcellus Williams), a Black man convicted of killing a white woman, was executed in Missouri despite a strong claim of innocence and over the objections of the prosecutor, the victim’s family, and civic and faith leaders from Missouri and across the world. Khaliifah’s execution is a testament to how cruel and senseless our system of justice is and how much work we have left to do. 

Racial discrimination continues to be a cornerstone of our system of injustice, and nowhere is that more blatant than when it comes to the death penalty. For an in-depth exploration of racism and its role in the death penalty, you can check out this interview with our Director of Special Projects, Estelle Hebron-Jones. She explains how race continues to influence how the death penalty is administered in Harris County and across the United States.

A dedicated legal team comprised of the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Missouri, the Innocence Project of Missouri, and the Innocence Project fought gallantly for Khaliifah until the end, along with activists in Missouri and across the world, especially Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty and the Missouri NAACP. 

We have our work cut out for us. We must stand and act against injustice together. As Thurgood Marshall said, “Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.”

With gratitude,