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United Women in Faith Urges President Joe Biden to Commute Federal Death Penalty Sentences

December 19, 2024
 
NEW YORK – United Women in Faith, the largest denominational organization for women, is celebrating Advent by mobilizing its members to action. It called on President Joe Biden to commute the sentences of all 40 individuals on federal death row. As an organization committed to justice, we understand the ways in which the criminal justice system unfairly and unevenly targets people of color.
 
The Associated Press reported that “Studies of the death penalty have long shown racial inequality in its application, but a new report has found the disparity extends inside the death chamber itself. In an analysis of the more than 1,400 lethal injection executions conducted in the U.S. since 1982, researchers for the nonprofit Reprieve reported that states made significantly more mistakes during the executions of Black people than they did with prisoners of other races.”
 
“We’re calling on President Biden to commute death row sentences not on account of the one who did wrong, or the one who was wronged, but because of our love for God,” said Cynthia Holland, who serves as United Women in Faith’s Digital Advocacy & Organizing Assistant at the Office of Racial Justice. “I know what it’s like to watch a loved one sit behind bars unfairly. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to watch a loved one on death row and know they are innocent. The system is unjust and so is its application.”
 
As women who believe in the sanctity of all life, United Women in Faith opposes the death penalty.
 
The United Methodist Church’s Social Principles read, “Our commitment to the inherent dignity and worth of every person and our historic stance as United Methodists compels us to oppose capital punishment and the imposition of the death penalty…Tragically, the death penalty compounds the loss of human life with the deliberate taking of another life. Additionally, the administration of the death penalty disproportionately impacts people who live in poverty, those who are uneducated, people who live in marginalized racial and ethnic communities, and people with mental impairments.” 
 
Emily Jones, Executive for Racial Justice at United Women in Faith, said, “We are honored to add our voices to the growing national call for President Biden to commute the federal death row before he leaves office.”
 
“We remember that God loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8) and that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23),” said Cynthia Holland. “We should be grieved by the things that grieve God. We call for mercy, reform and justice. ” 
 
For more information, or to book an interview with Jones or Holland, email press@spotlightpr.org. 
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Spotlight PR LLC Celebrates New Clintonville Office with Open House

Spotlight PR LLC, a crisis communications firm, recently held an open house at its new office location, 4041 N High Street, Suite 204. The company previously had a small workspace in Westerville, and is now firmly rooted in Clintonville. The firm works with leaders and organizations to help them develop their platforms and protect their brands.
 
Founded in 2016 in Northern Virginia by Jennifer R. Farmer, Farmer relocated the business to Ohio, where she is from, in 2020. The firm specializes in public relations with an emphasis on crisis management, publicity, ghostwriting and PR Coaching. It also offers a host of resources such as workshopsvideos and blogs to help clients communicate more effectively and navigate a host of public relations issues.
 
“I founded Spotlight PR because I wanted to build a culturally competent public relations firm that would support good people in the important work they were leading,” said Farmer, aka “The PR Whisperer®.” “I am excited about the opportunity to support those on the frontlines of movements for racial and social justice.”
 
Farmer has more than 22 years’ experience in strategic communications and politics. She has worked with some of the biggest names in the racial and social justice space including the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II of Repairers of the Breach, Pastor Michael McBride of LiveFree, former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, and Grammy Award Winning rapper Michael Render, pka Killer Mike.
 
Current and former clients of Spotlight PR include CLLCTIVLY, the Decolonizing Wealth Project, the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, Florida Rising, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, Race Forward, the Raising Child Care Fund, The Heart Nest Center, United Women in Faith, and more.
 
“We are excited to close out the year in our new office and anticipate what is to come in 2025 and beyond,” Farmer said.
 
Visit Spotlight PR’s contact us page to learn more.

Advancement Project Celebrates 25 Years of Social, Racial Justice Advocacy

WASHINGTON D.C. – With nearly 200 people in attendance, Advancement Project celebrated its 25th anniversary at the Rubell Museum in Washington D.C. on December 5. Advancement Project is a next generation, multi-racial civil rights organization that seeks to fulfill America’s promise of creating a caring, inclusive and multi-racial democracy.

For decades, the national racial justice organization has supported grassroots groups on the frontlines of major movements for education justice, climate justice, police reform, democracy, voting rights, redistricting and immigrant justice. They were a pioneering force in elevating the school-to-prison pipeline to the national discourse. Advancement Project also was on the ground in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, helping to ensure that the voices of survivors were heard during the reconstruction process.

Founded in 1999 by former NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund attorneys, Constance L. Rice, Penda Hair, Molly Munger, and Stephen R. English, Advancement Project has established a reputation as lawyers for the movement for racial justice. Executive director Judith Browne Dianis is a formidable force for change with a deep passion for community organizing.

“Despite the upheaval in the world, I take comfort in knowing that another world is indeed possible thanks to the work and advocacy of entities such as Advancement Project and their many partners,” said Jennifer R. Farmer, founder of Spotlight PR. Farmer previously worked as the managing director for communications for Advancement Project.

Advancement Project marked their anniversary with a gala reception at the Rubell Museum. It’s executive director Judith Browne Dianis remarked to those in attendance, “thank you for making incredible things happen every day.”

“As we direct our vision to the next 25 years, our unwavering belief is that another world is possible, especially for Black and brown communities,” said former educator, activist and Advancement Project Board Member Jesse Williams.

Advancement Project staff not only celebrated but they also paid homage to a host of grassroots organizations. They awarded the “Turning the Tide Awards” to Action St. Louis, a grassroots racial justice organization that seeks to build political power for Black communities in the St. Louis region. New Virginia Majority, which fuels multi-issue, multi-racial movements to transform Virginia, also earned the Turning the Tide Award.  

Advancement Project also issued the “Just Democracy Award” to the Service Employees International Union, one of the largest labor unions in the country; and the “Harry Belafonte Lift Every Voice Award” to Aja Monet, a Grammy-nominated Surrealist Blues Poet whose work explores themes of resistance, love and joy.

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