FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 10, 2025
Contact: Liv Perkins-Davenport, (919) 404-7409
ASHEVILLE – On Saturday, October 11 from 3:30-6:30 PM, community leaders, survivors of violence, and justice advocates will gather at Land of the Sky United Church of Christ in Asheville for World Day Against the Death Penalty. Hosted by the North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, the event will feature a keynote address, panel discussion, live music, and a space for community reflection – all focused on this year’s global theme: “The Death Penalty Protects No One.” This event is free and open to the public. Details here.
Rafiah Muhammad-McCormick, Director of Community Outreach at Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, serves as the keynote speaker. After losing her son to gun violence, Muhammad-McCormick became a leading voice for survivor-centered solutions and community-based approaches to safety.
“The death penalty does not honor victims. Instead, it devalues life through inequity and injustice,” Muhammad-McCormick said. “I am speaking on World Day Against the Death Penalty because people need to know there is another way: one that centers survivors, recognizes the worth of every life touched by violence, and builds communities where healing replaces vengeance.”
A panel of community leaders will then explore alternatives to the death penalty, including violence prevention programs, re-entry services that reduce recidivism, and meaningful services for survivors and their families. Panelists include Philip Cooper, Chief Change Agent & Founder of Operation Gateway; Michael Hayes, the Founder & Executive Director of Umoja Health, Wellness, and Justice Collective; and Jean Parks, a murder victim family member and abolition advocate.
The evening will close with a community meal and live music from Jodi McLaren, offering space for connection and reflection.
This year’s event comes as executions rise nationwide and as Governor Stein signed HB 307 into law last week, legislation that aims to restart executions and opens the door to new execution methods. World Day Against the Death Penalty is marked in more than 70 countries, uniting voices worldwide in the call to abolish the death penalty and ground justice in the protection of human rights.
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The NC Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (NCCADP.org) is a grassroots collective of 23 partner organizations committed to ending the death penalty and creating a new vision of justice in North Carolina. Contact Liv Perkins-Davenport at liv@nccadp.org or (919) 404-7409 for more information.
