Community Speaker Series: Problems of Mass Incarceration & Sentencing in Alabama

Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church is pleased to invite you to participate in an upcoming speaker series that will address the crisis of mass incarceration and the urgent need for criminal justice reform in Alabama and across the United States, two of the most pressing moral issues of our time. The series is called “Problems of Mass Incarceration & Sentencing in Alabama.”

Eight distinguished guest speakers will help us explore, among other things, the legacy of Jim Crow and systemic racial injustice, sentencing reform and the prison industrial complex, the history and present use of capital punishment in Alabama, and perspectives on justice, retribution, and reconciliation. We aim to unite our community in a shared vision for a more just future rooted in mercy, compassion, and moral courage. We invite people from all backgrounds to join in the discussion, because we recognize that we are stronger together by the diversity of our perspectives and experiences.

Events are hosted by Saint Andrew’s in Trinity Commons Episcopal Student Center (1170 11th Ave. South), located on the church campus with adjacent parking, and will be held Sundays from 9:00–10:15am beginning Sept. 14 through Nov. 9 (except Nov. 2).

These events are FREE and open to the public!

Saint Andrew’s and Trinity Commons are fully ADA compliant. Accessible entrances, seating, and restrooms are available, and ushers will be glad to assist with any additional needs to ensure a comfortable experience for all.

Guest Speaker Schedule:

SEPT. 14 – Brian White
Criminal defense attorney and Navy veteran, whose 30-year legal career includes securing the release of a man wrongfully held on Alabama’s death row for 17 years

SEPT. 21 – Callie Greer
Community Navigator for Alabama Appleseed, who advocates to abolish the death penalty and recently founded Mothers Against All Violence in Selma (MAAVIS) to bridge survivors of violence and justice-involved people through restorative justice practices

SEPT. 28 – The Honorable U.W. Clemon
Alabama’s first Black federal judge, who spent a lifetime advancing civil rights as an attorney, state senator, and jurist, from marching with Dr. King to shaping national policy on fair pay

OCT. 5 – Dr. Katie Owens-Murphy
Professor of English at University of North Alabama, and editor of Ghosts Over the Boiler (2023), chronicling the voices of Alabama’s death row through the nation’s only death row-led nonprofit, Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty (PHADP)

OCT. 12 – Anthony Ray Hinton
Community Educator for Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), who spent 30 years on Alabama’s death row for a crime he didn’t commit, and now shares his story worldwide as a voice for justice, mercy, and reform in his award winning book The Sun Does Shine (2018)

OCT. 19 – Governor Don Siegelman
Former Democratic Governor of Alabama, who championed education and children’s services, and his post-office experience navigating the justice system has deepened his voice in public discourse on accountability and reform

OCT. 26 – Dr. Kathryn Morgan
Professor of Criminal Justice and Director of African American Studies at UAB, who researches corrections, racial disparities, and the death penalty, with a focus on Alabama’s criminal justice system

NOV. 9 – Lisa Borden
Human rights attorney and Senior Policy Counsel at the Southern Poverty Law Center, with decades of experience in civil rights litigation, death penalty defense, and international advocacy