This week in Oklahoma…

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Today, we have been celebrating Juneteenth as the true end of slavery. But was it? No, to the surprise of many, slavery is still legal. It’s time this ends*. 

When Congress passed the 13th Amendment in 1865, it included an exception that allows slavery to be used “as a punishment for crime.” The exception was a concession to slave states that wanted continued access to free labor. It pushed slavery behind prison walls and ushered in the most brutal era of convict leasing and chain gangs, remnants of which persist today.

Roughly two million people — still disproportionately Black — are now incarcerated in a system that draws heavily from slavery for its own brutality. It’s a system that warehouses people, ships them around the country, separates them from their families, exploits their labor and bodies, denies them care and erodes their spirit, and too often kills them.
The modern death penalty emerged out of the same institutions that created chattel slavery. The states that held onto slavery the longest and had the most lynchings are the same states clinging onto the death penalty. None of us are free until we are all free.
Thak you for being a part of Death Penalty Action. Together we are working to create death penalty-free United States!
The Oklahoma legislature shut down without doing anything about the death penalty, so the status quo remains. That means we must prepare for protest! There's three events next weekend to be aware of, and two scheduled executions to keep in focus. Please see below and take action!

OKCADP Annual Awards Dinner

We are very excited that a number of friends will be recognized for their leadership at an awards dinner next weekend. If tickets are still available you can get them here.  Congratulations and thank you to Jasmine Brown-Jutras, Jamie Pybas and Rev. T. Sheri Amore Dickerson.  The keynote address will be by Adam Luck, former Chairman of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board.

6-24

PROTEST THE NEXT OKLAHOMA EXECUTION

Jemaine Cannon is scheduled to be killed at 10am CDT on July 20, in just about a month. He has already been denied clemency so there is not much in the way of this one, which is all the more reason that we must speak out loud and strong!

Plan now to participate:

  • Petition delivery at Governor's Office at 4pm on July 19
  • Protest at the Governor's Mansion at 5pm on July 19
  • Protest at the Governor's Mansion and at the Oklahoma State Prison in McAlester starting at 9am on July 20
  • Click here to add your name to the petition now!

FREE ANTHONY SANCHEZ

WE MUST STOP THIS EXECUTION BY SEPTEMBER 21!

SUNDAY: MARCH FOR PRIDE & ABOLITION!
Meet up with fellow abolitionists as we march in the Oklahoma City Pride Alliance Parade. Wear your AbolitionWear if you have it, and bring your signs if you have them. We'll have a banner to carry and some brand new rainbow Stop Executions Now!/Free Anthony Sanchez signs!  Look for us near where the ACLU of Oklahoma* contingent is gathering.

OKC Pride Alliance Parade
Sunday, June 25, 11 a.m. (Be there by 10:45am)
Scissortail Park in Downtown OKC
300 SW 7th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73109

ESPECIALLY NOW....
DONATE NOW to support Death Penalty Action's work in Oklahoma and your donation will be matched. 

Since we announced the $25K Challenge Match for Oklahoma, 267 people collectively raised over 45% of that goal! The smallest gift was $1 and the biggest was $1,000. Will you make a donation right now to help us fight the death penalty in Oklahoma? Every dollar donated will be doubled! PS: Make it Monthly? We invite you to become a monthly supporter - Please choose the option to make your gift recur automatically every month. PPS: If you prefer to donate with a check, please indicate that it is for the "Oklahoma match" so that we can count your gift as we track our progress. We can also accept gifts of stock. Our administrative address is: Death Penalty Action, PO Box 89, Ghent, NY 12075. Thank you!

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