#KellyOnMyMind: A Letter to Governor Deal

           As we enter into the few hours leading up to Kelly's execution set for 7PM tonight, there doesn't seem to be much of a case for hope. Yet hope is still alive. Hope is the only thing more powerful than fear. Hope sheds light on even the most dim of situations. But hope cannot come without fire--a fire begging, pleading, for us to do something, to say something. Consider how you will spend these next few hours. What can you do for the life of Kelly and those touched by Kelly? What can you bring to the table? Words are powerful. They have the ability to change us, to awaken understanding, and to shape the world. While in times of grief our words seem to be the most disjointed and least eloquent, those words matter. Even when we know our human words will never be enough, a piece of the divine can be found. Consider how you can use your words, whether you have five of them left or five hundred, to add your voice in solidarity with Kelly and her family. Write a letter to Governor Deal and submit it via  http://gov.georgia.gov/webform/contact-governor-domestic-form. Follow #KellyOnMyMind. Attend a vigil across Georgia today (McAfee will be hosting one at 7PM outside the front entrance for those interested.) Pray. Pray for a world that better understands the difference between vengeance and justice. Pray for mercy to overpower our human tendency of hatred and misunderstanding. Pray for reconciliation in a broken system. Listen to Kelly's words. Provide your own words. Be an advocate of the change we desperately seek.

Governor Deal,
           I know you've heard the pleas of thousands today for the life of Kelly Gissandaner. By now, you may feel exhausted and helpless, unsure of what to do, unsure of what to say. That is how many of us feel as well. We don't know if this is all in vain. We don't know if anything will be overturned. We don't know if our prayers will be answered. But we have hope. We have hope because Kelly's life does much more good than harm. We have hope because Kelly's words have brought each of us healing in times of tragedy. We have hope because we recognize no action, no matter how unjust it may seem, warrants taking away a sacred, human life.
          I'm not asking you to arbitrarily overturn the decision--I know you can't do that, and even if you had that power, I wouldn't want you to. Instead, I ask that you look at the case, and really look at it. Ask your board to open it back up. Use your voice as an advocate for Kelly. Perhaps appoint a woman or two to the board, maybe a few individuals that are just as against the death penalty as many on the board currently are for it. Take a step back and think about what it would be like for the state to decide whether or not you were worth living based on the worst decision you've ever made without taking into account all of the beautiful ways you have impacted lives around you since then. Know that you are not alone in this, even when it may feel that way. While it may cost you a few powerful constituents if you ask the board to halt the execution and reopen the case, it will gain you the support of many more of us who have started to give up on the idea of the state system as something that can be just and good for humanity.  
          Our voices matter, and so does yours. It's hard for me to think a man so passionate about rehabilitation can be a supporter of the death penalty, especially in a case where rehabilitation has clearly taken place by all accounts. It is a broken system, made ever more clear by the fact that the person who actually murdered Kelly's husband received a life sentence and not a death sentence. Do not let the inability to financially access a strong lawyer, or a few wrong choices on behalf of legal counsel, end Kelly's life. Her family asks for clemency, her fellow prisoners ask for clemency, her teachers and ministers ask for clemency, and now those of us who represent our congregations, seminaries, and ministry positions ask for clemency, urging you and the board to truly live out your Christian faith. Show Kelly, Georgia, and the world what it means to grant mercy. Help us see what can be done when we are advocates of change.
          Be a beacon of hope for a woman who has given hope to the world around her. Be a conduit of grace for a family who has already lost a father and is desperately pleading to hold onto their mother. Be an icon of love in a broken world, restoring Kelly to her prison community, giving her the ability to continue sharing her story, her life, and her joy with those who feel hopeless. Live out what it means to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.
         With Love in Christ,
         Tara Brooks