Roanoke College Announces Lecture on Death Penalty

SALEM, Va. - Sister Helen Prejean will give a talk titled "Dead Man Walking: The Journey Continues" on Wednesday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Colket Center's Wortmann Ballroom. She also will hold a book signing following her speech. Prejean's visit is sponsored by the Lucas-Hathway Fund, the Fowler Legacy and the Chaplain's Office.

Prejean is a Roman Catholic nun and one of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille. She has become a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. Prejean has ministered several inmates on death row and served as chairperson of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty from 1993 to 1995. In 1998, Prejean was awarded the Pacem in Terris Award, an annual award given in commemoration of Pope John XXIII for peace and freedom. She currently works with Amnesty International and the Moratorium Campaign, a movement that works to see that every state declares a suspension on executions.

Roanoke College, the country's second oldest Lutheran-related college, is an independent, co-educational, four-year liberal arts college. Roanoke is one of just 276 colleges nationwide with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious honor society. The Princeton Review names Roanoke as one of the "best in the Southeast." Roanoke's 2,000 students represent 40 states across the U.S. and 26 foreign countries.

For additional information, call the Roanoke College Public Relations Office at (540) 375-2282.