Maureen Fenlon, OP, the National Coordinator of the Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project, visited Cabrillo College and Delta School, and spoke on Wednesday, February 13 and Friday, February 15 at two public events.
Maureen Fenlon reads the script with Tim Robbins
Spiritual Perspectives on the Death Penalty, Feb. 13, 2005
Sister
Maureen participated in a forum examining spiritual perspectives on
the death penalty, which was open to the public and free of charge. This special event
occurred on February 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the First Congregational Church,
900 High Street, in Santa Cruz. Daria Troxell and Marc Nicholson performed scenes from Dead Man Walking. Speakers included:
David Grishaw-Jones, Senior Pastor, First Congregational Church in Santa Cruz. For a portrait of Pastor Dave, click here.
Ellie Foster, who will be speaking from the Quaker perspective as a member of the Santa Cruz Friends Meeting
Derrel Myers, whose son, JoJo, was shot and killed 12 years ago while returning home from work at Martin Luther King Middle School in San Francisco. Click here to read a statement by Derryl Myers and here to read an article about the still-unsolved crime.
Visit to Delta High School, Thursday, February 14
Sister Maureen spent Thursday, February 14 at Delta High School in
discussion with students and
faculty about the study they have made of capital punishment and the
issues around it. She spoke with students and the teacher from the
Death Penalty class from 8:30-9:15 a.m.; the Forensics Class from
9:25-10:40 a.m.; and the Writing and Activism Class from 10:50-12:05
p.m. She had lunch with the students of Cabrillo's Backstage
Production Class, as well as the students who were in the play, from
12:05-12:45 p.m. Maureen ended her day with the students and teacher
of the Death Penalty class from 12:45-2:00 p.m.
Talkback with the audience at the Fri., Feb. 15, 8 PM performance of Dead Man Walking
Sister Maureen attended the Friday, February 15, 8:00 p.m. performance of Dead Man Walking, and lead a question and answer session with the audience after the show.
About Maureen Fenlon, OP
An
Adrian Dominican Sister, Maureen undertook pioneering work to humanize
the U.S. prison system in the 1970's by creating hospitality houses for
prison visitors. The first, in Tallahassee, FL, served a federal
prison, and was followed by a statewide system of visitor centers
throughout California. Before she took the helm of the Play Project,
Fenlon was National Coordinator of NETWORK, a national Catholic social
justice lobby based in Washington, D.C. During the past three decades,
Sister Maureen has been involved in creating organizations, initiating
programs, managing projects, and collaborating with a wide range of
social change organizations, nationally and internationally. In these
efforts, Sister Maureen's work has been animated by her sensibilities
as a cultural worker, with the infusion of the poetry, music, and art
of peoples from around the world. The Play Project brings Sister
Maureen's gifts both as a cultural worker and a social change activist
into full play.
For more information about collaboration with Cabrillo College, Delta High School and Pisces Moon through the Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project, please click here.
