Dear Friends,
I hope this email finds you well in these difficult times. I am looking ahead to a Biden-Harris administration, to the New Year, and to all the opportunities that 2021 may bring. With that hopeful vision in mind, I’ve submitted an application to appear at next year’s SXSW festival in March — an event that has been on my bucket list for quite some time!
I’ll be talking about how today’s greatest injustices are happening in our criminal justice system. The subject of wrongful convictions — where a person is convicted of a crime committed by someone else — has entered the mainstream consciousness. But what people don’t realize is that more than one-third of all exonerations involve people convicted of crimes that never even occurred. I’ll be speaking about no-crime wrongful convictions, what they say about criminal justice today, and how we can foster real and impactful change in the criminal justice arena.
But first, my proposal has to be accepted. The audience panel picker is open from now until November 20th.
Could you take a minute and vote for my panel?
I am, as always, so deeply grateful for your support.
In other book-related news, I’ll be speaking this Saturday, November 14th about Smoke but No Fire at the Bnai Keshet Kaplan Minyan. The event will start around 11:00 am, immediately after the end of services. I am looking forward to what promises to be a lively conversation. Information and the zoom link can be found in this Baristanet article about the event. I hope you can join us.
Martin Luther King, Jr. suggested that “the ultimate measure of people is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand at times of challenge and controversy.” These are tumultuous times, but I am certain that together we will prevail and be stronger for the challenges.
I hope you and your family are safe and well.
Take good care,
Jessica