This Thursday, for the first time since I was wrongfully convicted 23 years ago, I’ll sit down with my family and celebrate Thanksgiving. I have to admit, even as we’re making plans and choosing recipes, everything is still a little surreal. After all, it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to choose what I want to eat, let alone share a warm and wonderful meal with the people I love.
Thanksgiving is a very hard day to be incarcerated, particularly as an innocent person. It’s difficult to count your blessings while separated from your family. My heart goes out to the people who will endure that feeling this very week, including Rodney Reed, who was recently granted a last-minute stay of execution.
My heart is full of joy and gratitude this holiday season, but it also goes out to those who are still waiting to be reunited with their loved ones. By sending a note to Rodney, you’re making a promise not to forget the wrongfully convicted this Thanksgiving — and that means the world to me.
Started in 1992 as a legal clinic at Cardozo School of Law, the Innocence Project is now an independent nonprofit, affiliated with Cardozo, that exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. www.innocenceproject.org
