National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty 2004 Conference @ Gallaudet University (D.C.)

The NCADP just completed its 2004 annual conference and general meeting at Gallaudet University for the deaf and hard of hearing in Washington DC. Last year's conference was hosted in Nashville.

This year's conference marked the beginning of a new era under the guidance and leadership of new executive director Diann Rust-Tierney. Since 1991 Rust-Tierney served as director of the Capital Punishment Project for the American Civil Liberties Union. As ACLU’s lead strategist and spokeswoman on the death penalty, she helped develop and coordinate national strategy on capital punishment. Her efforts included expanding efforts to educate the public about the problems associated with the death penalty and building broad coalitions with new partners to help spread the abolitionist message.

There was a palpable air of hopefulness in a conference marked by its upbeat atmosphere. The NCADP's focus will shift towards more and better affiliate service as an ongoing strategic evaluation continues. The addition of Ajamu Baraka (director of the new Human Rights Network and former Regional Director of Amnesty International's southern regional office) to the Board added to this optimism. TCASK executive director Randy Tatel was re-elected to a second 2-year term as an affiliate representative on the Board of Directors.

The conference is recognized as the best networking event of the year. The TCASK executive director was joined at this year's conference by Board members Toni Gwaltney (Chattanooga) and James Staub, Jr. (Nashville). Conference highlights included the screening of The Empty Chair (www.justiceproductions.org) and the workshop Maximizing Political Opportunities: New York case study focusing on efforts to maintain NY as the 13th abolitionist state in the U.S.

Longtime friend to many Tennessee abolitionists Abe Bonowitz was awarded this year's Abolitionist of the Year Award and Elaine Jones, former director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and a longtime lawyer in the fight against the death penalty, received NCADP's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Next year's conference is in Austin Texas over the last weekend of October. TCASK hopes to send a bus load of attendees to Austin!