Over 80 faith communities across 18 counties participated in more than 220 actions for Death Penalty Abolition Week for Ohio Faith Communities from October 8th – 17th. This week was the result of the efforts of the #NoDeathPenaltyOH coalition’s faith table and organized by Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center (IJPC) to uplift the voices of faith communities in a call for death penalty abolition. Faith communities took action in a number of ways. I am inspired by the multitude of people who shared stories about reflective prayer services, emboldened by the hundreds of postcards sent to legislators, and excited about the statewide gatherings and educational events that brought new people in.
In Cincinnati, over 100 people came together for an interfaith vigil outside Bellarmine Chapel. It was a bright, cloudless day and the sun beamed down on the stage as representatives from Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Mennonite, and Muslim faith traditions shared why they are called to stand in opposition to the death penalty. It was a powerful moment that grounded us in the reason why movements like this are so important.
Faith communities are crucial in the effort to end the death penalty and Ohio has never been this close to abolition. Bipartisan abolition legislation, Senate Bill 103 and House Bill 183, are currently sitting in committee awaiting hearings before heading to a vote. The death penalty is an arbitrary and racist system that is too broken to be fixed. As Tala Ali, Muslim Chaplain for the Dorothy Day Center for Faith and Justice, stated, “The death penalty in America is flawed, it is defined by bias and error and it targets the most vulnerable people in our society.”
It is our faith traditions that ground us in the inherent worth and dignity of human beings, that call us to nonviolent action, and to recognize that we are not the worst thing we have ever done. As Abby King-Kaiser, Director of the Dorothy Day Center for Faith and Justice, said, “I hope we can all tap into our prophetic imagination, so that we can imagine a world in which our traumas are addressed when we’re children, where we don’t have to resort to violence either as a society or a state or individuals. It takes our imaginations to help get us there and it takes all of our work in our many traditions to make it a reality.”
To learn more and get involved please email Bekky Baker, Program Manager for Death Penalty & Peace and Nonviolence at bekky@IJPCcincinnati.org. Check out IJPCcincinnati.org to learn more about IJPC and nodeathpenaltyoh.com for more information on the campaign.