Today would have been Marcellus "Khaliifah" Williams’ 56th birthday. Marcellus was an imam and a poet who spent over two decades on Missouri’s death row for a crime he did not commit. On Sept. 24 he was executed by the state of Missouri.

Marcellus' story echoes that of too many others caught in our country’s broken criminal legal system. A Black man wrongfully convicted of killing a white woman, Marcellus maintained his innocence until the very end. In honor of his birthday today, we’re putting together a special remembrance card.

We’re working to fill this remembrance card with 50,000 signatures for his family, including yours. So please, John, will you sign our card before midnight tonight?

Marcellus was a poet, who used his poems as a tool of communication. While in prison, poetry was a lifeline to connect with others. His poems touched on everything from heartbreak and loneliness to nature and climate change. One of his poems, “At last…Another’s heartbeat,” is about his loneliness during incarceration:

At last…Another’s heartbeat
By Marcellus Williams

the silhouettes of their bond visible still at the last glow of the sun

they experience each other and the life of the night as it begins to stir

standing there in silence holding hands

no rush to go back inside

there is so much beauty and comfort in being in love and just being…

– amidst sounds of buzzing

chirps

crickets

the pleasant but irregular blowing of the wind

fireflies dancing in step with the light of the moon

how strange it is to become aware of another’s heartbeat but forget one’s own

–finally love.

Marcellus’ poetry is a window into his personality: He was a compassionate, thoughtful, and generous individual who found pleasure in writing poems to support and remember his fellow incarcerated brothers and sisters.

Today, we remember Marcellus and the mark he left on the millions of lives he touched. And today, we hold his family, friends, and loved ones especially close to our hearts.

In honor of Marcellus' birthday, will you take a moment to sign the card?

Thank you,

Innocence Project