On March 24, Virginia finally outlawed the death penalty – the 23rd state to do so!
This state’s history is the bloodiest in America: out of all prisoners sentenced to death, Virginia has followed through with its executions more than any other state.
This victory comes after years of arguments that the death penalty is used unfairly against Black people, people with mental disabilities, and poor people. Imagine what it was like for our ancestors who were Black, disabled, and/or poor all at once!
Between 1900-1999, 79% of the incarcerated people Virginia executed were Black. From lynchings to electrocutions, we can’t know how many of them were innocent. Historians estimate it’s a LOT.
But even if some weren’t innocent, they didn’t deserve to die! Execution isn’t justice – it doesn’t undo any of the harm done by a person. We all have a right to life, and it’s not the state’s right – especially a state that has consistently preyed on the most vulnerable – to take that away.
In Trump’s final months, he rushed through as many executions as he could. That’s unacceptable! We’ve made it this far – we must work to stop the system from murdering anyone again.
Virginia has taken a step in the right direction, but we need a dismantling of the deadly white supremacist "justice" system entirely.