Unjustly imprisoned former death row exoneree to speak

Anthony Ray Hinton, a man falsely accused and convicted for murder who spent 30 years on death row in Alabama before being exonerated and released last year, will speak this fall on campus.

Hinton's story was featured on the television show “60 Minutes” and in attorney Bryan Stevenson's book “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption,” which will be at the center of freshman seminar, writing, criminal justice and even some economics classes at Pitt-Bradford this fall. In addition, “Just Mercy” has been chosen by the Bradford Area Public Library's One Book Bradford selection.

Events on campus and in the community will explore racial bias in the justice system in the weeks leading up to Hinton's talk at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 in the Bromeley Family Theater of Blaisdell Hall. The talk will be free and open to the public.

Organizers said they chose the work to help the community explore important, and sometimes uncomfortable, topics surrounding the fairness and humanity of the justice system.

“We really have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable,” said Kristin Asinger, director freshman seminar.

Pat Shinaberger, president of One Book Bradford said the book is a departure from the group's previous lighter fare, but one that the committee supported.

“It's in the news, and it's something we need to know about,” she said. “We all need to be educated about what's going on. We could have easily escaped paying attention to it, but we decided to get involved.

Creative writing, journalism and composition courses will study Stevenson's writing, the issues it raises and the tradition of activist writing, explained Dr. Nancy McCabe, professor of writing who is coordinating the events. In criminal justice and economics courses, the book will provoke discussions about race, class, identity and justice. The economic courses will be taught by Dr. Shailendra Gajanan, professor of economics.

Dr. Tony Gaskew, associate professor of criminal justice and founding director of the Pitt-Bradford Prison Education Program will teach a special topics course with the book as the text. Gaskew will teach incarcerated students and traditional students alongside incarcerated educators at the Federal Correctional Institution - McKean.

Events leading up to Hinton's visit will be a book group discussion led by Dr. Walter Rhinehart, a former psychologist with the Bureau of Prisons, at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 10 at the Bradford Area Public Library.

Gaskew will also lead a discussion on inequity within the criminal justice system, highlighting the work of the Innocence Project and the Equal Justice Initiative at 7 p.m. Sept. 28 at the public library.

Closer to Hinton's visit, Pitt-Bradford's Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences will host a symposium discussion on the death penalty. Details on the symposium will be announced at a later date.

Finally, members of the Justice Robert H. Jackson American Inn of Court, a group of lawyers and judges, will hold its annual meeting in conjunction with Hinton's visit and attend his talk.

Copies of Stevenson's book will be available in The Panther Shop on campus.

For disability needs related to any of the events, contact Carma Horner, disability resources and services coordinator, at 814-362-7609 or clh71@pitt.edu.

For more information on events or inquiries to take part, contact McCabe at 814-362-0785 or ngm4@pitt.edu.

Funding for Hinton's visit was provided by a University of Pittsburgh Innovation in Education Grant and Spectrum Arts Series; Freshman Seminar; the Divisions of Behavioral and Social Science, Communication and the Arts, and Management and Education; One Book Bradford; the Pitt-Bradford Prison Education Program; and the Justice Robert H. Jackson American Inn of Court.

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