I want to make people aware of Troy Davis' case. Troy Davis is a death-row inmate who was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection today. Only two hours before he was scheduled to die, the US Supreme Court placed a stay on the execution. The Supreme Court is scheduled to meet on September 29th about the case.
For those unaware of Troy Davis' story, it is one that seems as if it was ripped from Hollywood. Troy Davis, an African-American, was convicted of killing white police officer Mark MacPhail in 1989. Since 1989, 7 of the 9 non-police witnesses have recanted their testimony. There is large doubt surrounding the initial conviction. People ranging from the Pope to Jimmy Carter to Susan Sarandan have pleaded with the state of Georgia to stay the execution and grant a retrial. There is no direct evidence such as DNA linking Davis to the crime. Everyone except those in power seemed to want to stay and retrial. Though all this information is out there it took the Supreme Court too long to intervene. They have know for weeks that they (The Supreme Court) were to hear the case on the 29th but Davis was to be executed on the 23rd. What took so long? I hope that those in charge of this debacle don't believe that the public will just forget the murder of an innocent man. After all would the murder of one innocent man in Troy Davis really recitfy the initial murder of police officer MacPhail? Though cliche, this is a matter of life and death and life is too precious to be rushed through an extremely fallible and often prejudice criminal justice system.
(Side note from psychology research this summer: criminal justice system was first used by a review board bake in the late 1960s. The name is similar to that of an eco-system. However, unlike an ecosystem; however, the different layers of the justice system do not seem to be self-correcting. It's more of a criminal justice assembly line: arrest--trial--jail. The different levels of departments involved with justice must look critically at the other levels, if we really want to look at the set up of justice in America as a system.)
The link below is a list of articles from ajc.com about the Troy Davis case.
http://www.ajc.com/search/search/search/UnifiedSearch?query=troy+davis&collection=site
You can also go to:
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/9/23/race_is_everything_in_this_case
Here you can read or listen about the Troy Davis case from the program Democracy Now.
All I can ask for people to do is educate themselves on the issue. If you feel compelled to act on behalf of Troy Davis you can visit Amnesty International at:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/troy-davis-finality-over-fairness/page.do?id=1011343&n1=3&n2=28&n3=1412
or
http://www.troyanthonydavis.org/
Troy Davis and the death penalty
Higher Education outside of the Lecture Hall
Senior Year
This is my last year at Swarthmore. It is sad in a way, because I wish I knew as a freshman what I know now. But one cannot dwell on that for too long. It is important to understand that certain events must happen before the importance of others becomes known. My experience with extracurricular activities at Swarthmore is a prime example.
The Beginning
When I entered Swarthmore in the Fall of 2005, I came knowing that I was going to get a top-notch education in a liberal atmosphere, and that I came to play soccer. Let's just say aside from soccer, I was not really sure what my future would hold. I was unsure of my major or minor, and career ideas were all over the place.
For my first two years I like to think that I was gaining experience. It was a transitional period. A period where my experiences slowly and gradually built upon one another so that I could arrive at my present understanding of who I am and where I want to go.
During this time, I was unsure of where I was headed, but knew where I was. I was a student and an athlete, so I solidified myself academically and physically. Importantly I learned what it took to succeed in both aspects of my life. It was difficult for me to spread myself across both academics and athletics. Throughout high school and early in college I often found myself placing all my effort in one area, leaving the other wonting. My freshman and sophomore years allowed me to understand what it takes to succeed in multiple disciplines at the same time.
Little things about my life also began to change. I watched too much TV and realized it's definitely not worth the time. I realized that it is perfectly fine if I do not know all the football or soccer scores. I realized that knowing the lines from the latest "Office" was really not as important as I once thought. One of my favorite textbook quotes helped me push towards this change. "In the average home, the [television] set is on seven hours a day, with individual household members averaging three to four hours which means that someone living to age 80 would have spent a decade watching television" (Myers, 2005). I look back now and want to say, wow I watched way too much TV, I wish I had read more. But one cannot think that way. One must understand that the experience was necessary and learn from that experience.
Junior Year
Junior year was the first year when I had my academics and athletics under control and I was able to look to new opportunities. I decided to join Earthlust, the environmental group on Swarthmore's Campus. Luckily my friend Ladule was involved, which gave me the push I needed.
I eagerly, but nervously tagged along to the first meeting. This was uncharted waters for me. I was not an expert in environmental causes and I definitely felt out of place for the first few meetings. But I stuck with it. The cause was worthy (working for environmental justice in exploited parts of Philadelphia) and I felt invigorated. It was a sensation different from the soccer field or the classroom. I sensations which I now better understand after my experience this year.
Today
After a semester abroad, I came back to Swarthmore and rejoined the Earthlust and became a part of the Swarthmore Labor Action Project, who work for labor rights in various industries. One of the first meetings for the Labor group was with Swarthmore Professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies Aurora Camacho de Schmidt. She discussed a project to help immigrant farm-workers in nearby Kennett Square. The farm pickers work in poor conditions, for low pay, and have an extremely difficult time organizing into a solid and cohesive labor union. Not to mention the language barrier and deportation issues that many of the immigrant workers face on a daily basis. For more info visit http://www.cata-farmworkers.org/
She said something that puts words to the feeling I get when I attend these Labor group and Earthlust meetings. She said that helping these immigrants is a chance to put one's education to the test. It is real world learning. I now realize that all the hours and all the cups of coffee that it took to finish that political science, history, psychology, or sociology readings aren't just for the sake of a grade, a simple letter on a piece of paper.
The readings we do in college are assigned to teach, invigorate and inspire. We cannot sit by and let our education be simply one of papers, problem sets, and lectures. The world has its own set of problems and because of the time we have spent studying we have the opportunity and the responsibly to put that knowledge to the test in the real world. We cannot sit idly by and let our education be passive, let us be active and utilize the education we have been so fortunate to receive.
If only I would have understood all this as a freshman... I could have been involved in so much. ...This is a dangerous line of thought.
As I alluded to earlier, I like to believe that I could not be where I am today, without the specific experiences I had in the past. In other words, I believe that the change is gradual and builds up over time. As one amasses various experiences, we find things out about ourselves and the world. After many experiences, we can better decide what is important and what we as individuals must do with our lives.
I am glad to have the opportunity to put my three years of education to the test outside of the lecture hall this year. I want to tell others that at college or at anytime, anywhere you have the opportunity to learn not only in the classroom, but out of it as well. Do not be afraid. Get involved! If there is no organization, create one! "Be the change you see in the world." -Mahatma Ghandi. You will undoubtedly have an experience that will stay with you long after your lectures notes have faded and been lost.
