Entries tagged with “Black History Month”

Issues

Feb 29, 2024

Black History Month Profile Series: Elaine Jones

This month, DPIC celebrates Black History Month with weekly profiles of notable Black Americans whose work affected the modern death penalty era. The fourth and final entry in this series is lawyer and civil rights activist Elaine Jones, former president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and counsel of record in Furman v. Georgia. Elaine Jones was born in Norfolk, Virginia on March 2, 1944, the daughter of a railroad porter and a school teacher. She received a Bachelor of…

Issues

Feb 23, 2024

Black History Month Profile Series: Craig Watkins

This month, DPIC celebrates Black History Month with weekly profiles of notable Black Americans whose work affected the modern death penalty era. The third in this series is former Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins, who died on December 12, 2023. Craig Watkins, a former defense attorney, was elected as Texas’ first Black district attorney and was the creator of the nation’s first Conviction Integrity Unit. He served two terms as Dallas County District Attorney, from 2007 – 2015.

Issues

Feb 16, 2024

Black History Month Profile Series: Jennifer Eberhardt

This month, DPIC celebrates Black History Month with weekly profiles of notable Black Americans whose work affected the modern death penalty era. The second in the series is Professor Jennifer Eberhardt. Jennifer Eberhardt, a professor of Psychology at Stanford University and a recipient of a MacArthur “genius grant,” studies the relationship between race and sentencing. Her book, Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do, uncovers implicit biases in all…

Feb 09, 2024

Black History Month Profile Series: Ernie Chambers

This month, DPIC celebrates Black History Month with weekly profiles of notable Black Americans whose work affected the modern death penalty era. The first in the series is retired Nebraska state senator Ernie Chambers. As a trailblazing figure in Nebraska politics, Ernest “Ernie” Chambers is best known for his unwavering commitment to justice and equality. Elected in 1970, Chambers served in the Nebraska state legislature for 46 years. Throughout his career, Chambers championed a variety of…