In August, North Carolina will mark sixteen years since our last execution, yet there are 136 people sentenced to death in our state. To observe this milestone, please join the NC Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty on Thursday, August 18th, 6:30-8:00 PM, the actual anniversary of the last execution, for the premier Chapel Hill screening of the newly released film Racist Roots . This short film, created by the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, exposes the death penalty’s deep entanglement with slavery, lynching and racism. The film, and a panel discussion to follow, will highlight the diverse voices that are central to the movement to end North Carolina's death penalty — and remind us why we must work together to ensure that state-sponsored executions are never again carried out in our name.
This event will take place at the Chelsea Theatre (1129 Weaver Dairy Rd Suite AB Chapel Hill, NC 27514). Panelists include writer and researcher Seth Kotch, Ph.D and Dawn Blagrove, Executive Director of Emancipate NC. Both Kotch and Blagrove are featured in the film. The panel will be moderated by James Williams, retired Chief Public Defender for Orange and Chatham counties. James also serves as the chair of the NC Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System and was recently recognized for his tireless racial equity work as this year's winner of the NC Advocates for Justice Annie Brown Kennedy Award.
Co-sponsors include the Chapel Hill/ Carrboro NAACP and the Orange Co Community Remembrance Coalition, along with the Center for Death Penalty Litigation. This is a free event, but online registration is required and space is limited. An online livestream of the event will also be available. Per Chelsea Theater COVID policy proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within the past 48 hrs will be required and masks will be optional.
Details about the livestream:
For those unable to attend in person at the Chelsea Theater, go to https://www.facebook.com/NCCADP/live_videos/ for the livestream. There is no registration required. This livestream will include the program and panel discussion portions of the event. The livestream will go dark during the screening of the film. You can watch the film from the Center for Death Penalty's YouTube page https://youtu.be/55mVMDkXheI. The link will be provided in the comments during the livestream as well.
