Keep Up The Good Work - You're Making A Difference

The New Abolitionist
December 2001,Issue 22

SPECIAL CONVENTION ISSUE

Taking The Struggle Forward
Campaign holds its first National Convention

Mumia Deserves Justice
A day of action to mark 20 stolen years on death row

Death Penalty Awareness Week At Georgetown

To Err Is Human - To Cover Up, Devine
Members of the Death Row 10 are offered deals

Danny Glover Speaks Out

Organizing The Struggle From The Grass Roots
Report from workshops and sessions at the convention

"The Scales Of Justice Are Never Balanced"
Former death row prisoners speak out at rally

I See This Struggle As A New Challenge
Exonerated death row prisoner Shujaa Graham

What The Campaign Convention Meant To Me
Participants talk about their reactions

Not A More Humane Way To Kill
A botched lethal injection in Georgia

Marching On The Mansion In Texas

Voices From Inside:
Death Row Prisoners Speak Out
Without Money, There Is No Justice
Ronald Clark

I'll Organize When I'm Out
Michael Corley

"Two Americas, Separate And Unequal"
William Peeples

Keep Up The Good Work - You're Making A Difference
Ndume Olatushani

Archive Issues of The New Abolitionist

Keep Up The Good Work - You're Making A Difference

"Sisterhood," painted by Ndume Olatushani on death row.

I just finished the last article in the October 2001 issue of the New Abolitionist. This is my first time writing.

I want to take this opportunity to commend you on the work that you all have done and continue to do, being the voice for those of us who are voiceless.

From the time I received the first copy of the New Abolitionist and every one since then, I have appreciated the knowledge and understanding you all offer. I especially like the way you cover individual cases and the activities of groups/organizations, families and friends. I’ve found courage, inspiration and hope on many of the pages of the newsletter. And just saying "thank you" does not adequately convey my gratitude.

My name is Ndume Olatushani, formerly known as Erskine Johnson. I am currently on death row here in the state of Tennessee at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution.

I was falsely accused and wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in 1985 for a murder that occurred in 1983 in the city of Memphis. Until I was brought to Memphis to stand trial, I had never even been in the state of Tennessee, not to mention committed murder.

I am unable to make a cash donation at this time. However, I am enclosing a greeting card that is a reproduction of a painting of mine. Since I have been incarcerated I have become an accomplished artist. And I would like to donate 50 21-inch-by-27-inch art prints of my painting "Sisterhood" to you all. Maybe you can offer them along with the T-shirts, posters and other merchandise you sell. I would also like to offer to you all one of my original paintings, which could be sold to raise funds toward your efforts.

Once again, I would like to reiterate my appreciation for the work you all are doing on behalf of those of us facing state-sanctioned murder. Keep the good works in effect, because you all are definitely making a difference.

Ndume Olatushani, #118964
RMSI Unit 2 210B
7475 Cockrill Bend Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37209-1048

The New Abolitionist - December 2001, Issue 22
Campaign To End The Death Penalty, Chicago, IL - www.nodeathpenalty.org