|
Phone:
(907) 929‑5808
Toll Free: (877) 924‑4483 Journey of Hope ... from
Violence to Healing Organizers'
Handbook
CONTENTS I.
Introduction and History of the Journey of Hope
A.
The Journey of Hope: the numbers B.
A typical day on the Journey C.
The internal organization that makes it all work; the spirit that makes
it all possible A.
Purposes for a Journey B.
Witness against state killing‑‑public education on the death
penalty C.
Strengthening local work for abolition D.
Identifying and building relationships with victims and victims' groups E.
Impacting public policy and other purposes
IV. Preparations Before a Journey of Hope Event A.
Working with Journey of Hope, Inc. in designing and planning a Journey B.
Putting together a planning committee 1.
Diversity
2. Meetings
C. Local event organizing 1.
Determining the route/scope of the Journey 2.
Determining when and where to hold major events 3.
Contacting victims' groups in the area 4.
Building and working with local committees 5. Setting up large numbers of speaking
events D. Inviting speakers 1.
Big name speakers 2.
Murder Victim Family Member speakers 3.
Locally‑known speakers and local leaders E. Fundraising 1.
Grants 2.
Individual contributions 3.
Major gifts 4.
Hororaria and church special collections 5.
Sales of merchandise (shirts, buttons, books and other items) 6.
Registration fees 7.
Keeping costs down: in‑kind donations F. Recruiting other Journey
participants
1. How many people make a good Journey?
2. General recruitment, publicity and inviting local participants
3. Recruiting specific people for particular roles G.
Preparing for media coverage
1. Press packets 2.
What audience are you trying to reach?
3. Central media coordination
4. Local media work H.
Planning the logistics
1. Lodging
2. Meals
3. Transporting the group
4. Transportation to and from the Journey I.
Keeping the momentum: Next steps after the Journey J.
Self‑care for Journey organizers V.
During a Journey event
A. Care of the group
B. Care of speakers
1. Avoiding over‑scheduling
2. The Team approach
C. Organization and delegation of responsibilities
1. Overall coordination
2. Coordinating speakers and events
3. Daily route and driver coordination
4. On‑site media coordination, spokesperson; spokesperson
coordinator
5. Daily information briefings and meeting facilitation
6. Greeting and orienting new arrivals
7. Getting people into vehicles and on the road
8. Vehicle care and security
9. Care and safe‑keeping of communication equipment 10.
Care and safe‑keeping of banners, signs, etc. 11.
March and rally coordination and security 12.
Tree‑planting events and tree care 13.
Leafletting and doorknocking 14.
Merchandise, literature tables, petitions (group sales & event boxes) 15.
Handling money and keeping finances straight 16.
Health care and wellness for the group 17.
Coordinating meals and food purchase 18.
Overnight lodging/host liaison 19.
Group morale and/or music 20.
Complaint department 21.
Laundry coordinator(s) for laundry days 22.
Airport, bus and train station pickups 23.
Coordination of assignments and assignment board A.
People to thank B. Follow‑up with participants
and local organizers C. Contributing to this handbook
The
Journey of Hope...from Violence to Healing
is an educational speaking tour led by murder victim family members.
These speakers
share their stories about the process of healing through reconciliation.
They call for alternatives to the death penalty and an end to the cycle
of violence that capital punishment perpetuates in our society.
Joining with these speakers are activists, death row family members,
death row survivors, and friends from around the world.
Every year the Journey travels to different areas to spread the message
of nonviolence and forgiveness. They
speak to high school classes, church groups, the media, college classes,
legislative settings, rallies, and civic and professional organizations. The Journey has been doing tours since 1993, and has reached tens
of thousands of people in numerous states.
Its anti-death penalty message is particularly effective because it grows
out of personal experience with the loss of loved ones to murder.
These victims’ family members have moved beyond the urge for revenge;
they have taken the harder road of forgiveness and healing.
It is a message from which we can all benefit; a message that works to
end the violence that capital punishment perpetuates in our nation.
Although
the Journey was conceived in the tradition of two anti-death penalty marches held
earlier ‑‑ the 1990 National Pilgrimage to Abolish the Death
Penalty, held in Florida and Georgia, and the 1991 march in Texas organized by
Texans Against State Killing ‑‑ we wanted to do something
significantly different. Rather than a march, we envisioned a public education
tour in which members of MVFR members would be the main speakers. The
Indiana Journey was a major success, thanks to the organizing efforts of a great
many people, and the wholehearted participation of many tireless Murder
Victims’ Family Members and other abolitionists. After taking part in the
Indiana Journey, participants from other states have already begun planning
Journeys in their own areas, and have asked for information, ideas, and
guidelines to assist them in their planning. This handbook is intended to meet
that request. Contribution
from Otto Michael Penzato Shortly
after the 1993 Journey, Bill Pelke received a call from two of the Indiana
participants, Ed and Mary Ruth Weir. Ed and Mary Ruth, who run New Hope House, a
hospitality house for families of death row inmates in Griffin, Georgia, had
seen firsthand the powerful impact of the Journey and of the stories of Journey
members. They wanted to bring the Journey of Hope to Georgia. Although the
Indiana Journey was conceived as a one‑time event, MVFR accepted the
Weir's offer and planning was begun for a second Journey in Georgia. The Weirs,
with the help of Troy Reimer and a network of hardworking abolitionists from
around the state, brought the second Journey of Hope to the state of Georgia in
October, 1994. The
Georgia Journey was another success. Working from this Organizing Handbook,
Georgia organizers found that the Journey model could be adapted to the
political and social geography and issues particular to their state. With this
knowledge, and with the lessons learned from adapting this model to differing
situations, plans went forward to continue the Journey in subsequent years. California
and Virginia were selected as the next sites for Journeys of Hope. Both started
their organizing in ‘94, with California hosting a Journey in 1995 and
Virginia bringing the Journey in 1996. Building on the models of the two
previous Journeys, organizers again worked to adapt the model to the particulars
of their respective states. California,
due to its large size and divided population, was split into Northern and
Southern California organizing halves, with each half functioning as a fairly
autonomous coordination team. Claudia King and the Bay Area Action Team
organized in the north and Mike Penzato, with assistance from Death Penalty
Focus of California and Amnesty International, worked in the south. In
California, the Journey learned the importance of having an in-state
co-sponsor to assist with organizing, and of ensuring there was sufficient
advance planning time for the extensive organizing and grassroots coalition
building necessary to carry out this massive public education tour. In
1996, the Journey was held in Virginia. As MVFR's national office was (at the
time) located in Virginia, organizing was headed by Marie Deans and Pat Bane,
then Chair and Executive Director of MVFR, along with Henry Heller and
co-sponsor Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. In
addition to working from the standard Journey model, Virginia organizers decided
to highlight the state's "21-Day Rule," a judicial rule barring
introduction of new evidence in capital cases more than 21 days after the trial,
even evidence of innocence. Journey participants did a terrific job of
incorporating this information into their presentations and even those
Virginians who supported the death penalty were struck by the profound
unfairness of the rule. As a result, repeal legislation was introduced in the
legislature and the public and media's awareness of the 21‑Day Rue was
raised. MVFR
decided not to organize a Journey for 1997. It was decided that MVFR should step
back and address some of the internal organizational issues it faced and clarify
its long term objectives before committing to the significant workload that
organizing another Journey would entail. During ‘97, Bill Pelke, creator of
the Journey of Hope concept, decided to incorporate "The Journey of Hope
... from Violence to Healing, Inc." as a separate organization to continue
organizing the Journey in future years. MVFR endorsed this action and will
remain the featured organization in future Journeys, working with Bill and this
new organization to continue in the tradition of the Journey of Hope, sharing a
message "from violence to healing." Contribution
from Sara Sharpe (Tennessee ’99):
I flew to Texas in June of ’98 for the last week of the Journey (it
went from May 29-June 14) and was absolutely stunned at what I witnessed there.
I came away with a newfound hope that we could, as individuals and as a
society, finally begin to replace condemnation with compassion, revenge with
forgiveness, and hatred with love. The
really stunning thing was that it was murder victims’ family members who were
showing us the way- the very people who had walked through the fire.
I came home determined to bring the Journey to Tennessee.
In the end, the steering committee of the Tennessee Coalition to Abolish
State Killing agreed that it was worth the massive amounts of organizing, and we
settled on dates and got to work. I
went to each chapter of TCASK to explain what it was that we were doing and what
each chapter would be responsible for (food, lodging, speaking engagements,
etc). The idea was met with great
enthusiasm wherever I went, and each chapter got to work immediately!
The host group, the Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing (TCASK),
has been around in its current form since 1992.
There were four chapters at the time (five now), the largest of which
sits in Nashville. Each chapter was
responsible for the Journey in their immediate area. The overall coordinators as well as the steering committee
were based in Nashville.
Sara’s first-hand experience in Texas really helped in the planning for
our Journey. We had enough time and
money, thanks to a recent grant, to open an office and pay our head organizers
so they could afford to put in the long hours of required time.
This helped immensely in having a phone that was answered constantly and
a home base for all of the registration and other correspondence we received.
Tennessee also had a good supply of volunteers and a strong steering
committee made up of long time activists. These
are all essential to a well-run Journey.
Our state is a rather unique one in the South.
At the time of the Journey (April 1999) we hadn’t had an execution for
nearly 40 years. Unfortunately a
few men were coming dangerously close to the end of their appeals, and thus
nearer to actual execution dates. We
chose to make it clear that we didn’t want the death penalty to start being
effected any time soon in our state. Our
activists and speakers were all given these facts to present to the public.
By bringing the Journey of Hope...from Violence to Healing
to Tennessee, we hoped to make capital punishment more “real” to folks and
not just a theoretical issue. We
were in unfriendly territory, but managed to speak to an estimated 12,000
Tennesseeans. Hopefully we helped change the tide of public opinion enough
to encourage folks to join us in our future efforts.
Highlights of the Tennessee Journey included a sold-out benefit concert
given by Steve Earle and friends, a march/rally at the Capitol building in
Nashville, a speech at Vanderbilt University by Sister Helen Prejean, and
beautiful weather. (For more
information on TCASK, please see the brochure in the Appendix.)
The Journey heads out to Missouri, Florida, and New Jersey in the coming
months for limited Journeys in 2001. There
will be a major event held in North Carolina in October 2001. Helpful Insights: Contribution
from Troy G. Reimer (Georgia ‘94): Let
me start out by saying that organizing the Journey of Hope was the most
exhilarating thing I have ever done. I am adding these notes mainly from my own
experience in organizing, but also drawing some from evaluations that were sent
in. One of the largest mistakes we
had was in setting up events. We had over 30 events come in the two weeks before
the Journey. You need to get the events in and probably make a cut‑off
date. It would be the responsibility of the overall coordinator to stay on top
of the local organizers. Things would probably run smoother if you did not add
events during the Journey. Make a deadline for events, and stick to it. If the
local organizers do not have events in by the deadline, then get on the phone
and work with them to get events lined up.
However, it is inevitable that events will come in (perhaps only a day in
advance) which are opportunities that should not be turned down. As the Journey
gains attention along the way new requests and opportunities for events are
bound to come in, and this will put additional demands on your pool of speakers
and logistical resources (e.g. transportation). It is important to be prepared
for this ‑‑ organize, plan, prepare ‑‑ and then be
flexible. The
overall coordinator should be clear about the local organizers’
responsibilities from the very beginning. There may have been a few times in
Georgia that I could have been clearer. You probably will not hurt anyone's
feelings if you spell things out for them.
It will cause many less headaches in the long run. Some of Georgia's
local organizers suggested more “on sight” visits. We did not make very many
on sight visits. Usually we just went on sight when local organizers asked for
help. I would suggest a few on sight visits, even for local organizers not
needing help. (Keep in mind the travel
distance and time.) Continuing
with local organizers, do not assume that they know anything. Just because you
understand the sheet does not mean that the local organizers do. Explain
everything to them, even if it does not need explaining. I will use an example
of what happened in Georgia. We had on the event sheets an “event contact”;
we wanted the name of the person at the event, not the name of the local
organizer. It would have caused less confusion if I would have stated at a local
organizer meeting what we wanted instead of assuming they all understood. Also
concerning this, it was of great help to have the name of the event contact and
phone number when laying out maps. You could call the event directly instead of
having to go through the local organizer. (See
Appendix: Speaking Engagements). Next
are some suggestions that may help. First, do not have the last event on the
last day. Have it the day before so that people can have a day to travel home. Along those lines: it has become a
Journey tradition to reserve the last Saturday evening for, as it is informally
known, "Fun Night." This time has been used to give Journey
participants, frequently separated from one another and too busy to catch up, a
chance to share the more meaningful, moving, and humorous events of the previous
two weeks. It is only a tradition, and you may feel free to break it; but you do
so at your own risk... Second,
don't make the events too long. We had some events that were close to 3 hours.
That is a long time to sit, especially without an intermission. If you have more
than one speaker lined up, then you may want to limit them on how long to speak.
Be sure to leave time for questions!!! Next
is concerning food. We decided to guarantee 3 meals a day as opposed to only
guaranteeing two. The key word here is guarantee. Ed Weir will definitely vouch
that the meal logistics scared me too death. I lost a few hours sleep over them.
All and all it worked out, but remember... if you guarantee three meals a day,
you have to provide three meals a day (i.e. a lot of extra logistics). once
again we asked the local organizers to provide these or at least arrange them at
the events. One
question that I still have is how to get people outside of those on the Journey
to attend marches and rallies. We did not have as many marches and rallies in
Georgia, and some people really felt left out. It is a good time to get everyone
feeling as part of the group. Again, work hard to get others to come so that it
is not just those from the Journey. In
Georgia we were all going out in the morning at different times and coming back
at different times. This did not leave a lot of time for the group to be
together. There should probably be time everyday for the group to meet in the
morning and the evening. (Even if it is not the group as a whole.) Someone also
suggested that the MVFR members have some time together away from the rest of
the group. Morning meetings are a
great idea. They provide a chance to run through the day's schedule and people
can ask questions, make suggestions/requests,vent, etc. One thing I would suggest would be to
go easy on the buttons. 500 is way too many. The t-shirts went well ...
they tended to sell better than the buttons. When you pick people up at the
airport, you need a way to recognize them. You may want to include a button with
the registration fee. Early registration at a reduced price is a great idea. We
worked pretty hard to firm up who was coming only a few weeks before the Journey
started. It really helps to know how many people you will have when you sit down
for driving logistics.. Last I will touch slightly on the
overall coordinators responsibilities. You will be responsible for everything.
Yes, you will delegate many responsibilities, but you need to know what each of
those responsibilities consist of. Bob has made a good list. Before Georgia's
Journey started I typed up responsibilities so that each person would know what
they would be doing. I could include them, but I think each coordinator can
decide what they want each responsibility to be. I would be happy to share what
Georgia's were upon request. The overall coordinator must be on top of
everything every step of the way. This is extremely important once the Journey
starts. You must be aware of what is happening currently and be able to look at
least two days ahead and beyond. The
overall coordinator will need to be on the Journey the entire time
and be available for questions upon referral. (Trust me, there will be
questions) [emphasis added] An example of needing to know all responsibilities:
Bob Gross was Georgia's speaking coordinator. Well, one evening Bob went on an
airport run and sure enough, speakers needed to be rearranged. Needless to say
this was at 11p.m. and we needed someone to go to Jacksonville at 7a.m. It could
not wait, so I had to realign the speakers to make it work. Things can change
very quickly on a Journey, therefore you need to be prepared for the unexpected.
One thing that we started to do in Georgia, but then slacked off about,
was to do a walk-through day by day. This is of great help because there is just
way too much going on during a Journey for one person to be able to see it all.
I would suggest doing this every other day. There are just tremendous details
that the overall organizer must make sure get taken care of. For example, I
noticed that we needed to supply our own toilet paper when I visited the camps.
Try to get help to make sure all of these logistics get taken care of. Bob has
touched on the amount of work that it takes to organize a Journey of Hope. I
would like to second that. I worked between 70 and 80 hours a week the month and
a half before the Journey; working 85 hours the week before it started. Just
like Bob I ate, slept, and worked on the Journey of Hope. I would like you to be
aware that this is no small task that you have entered into, but it is rewarding
beyond belief. Contribution
from Henry Heller (Virginia ‘96): As
of this writing, the Texas Journey is 10 months away. Plenty of time compared to
the California Journey. On the other hand, I was starting to get things together
for Virginia (in ‘96) after the Georgia Journey (in ’94). I
guess the first thing is to get together a preliminary brochure.
Whether it is in the form of a brochure or a sheet of paper, something is needed to send on to people. Besides
getting the word out, raising money is probably the most important thing at the
early stages. We hadn't raised a whole lot until a couple of months before the
Virginia Journey. Co-sponsor VADP laid out for postage, copying, phone,
etc. Since the Journey has been such an important part of MVFR's development,
and has resulted in a lot of opportunities for the organization, it seems only
right that MVFR throw the Texas Journey some seed money. Also,
the Texas folks need to start writing grant proposals. Pat Bane (former
Executive Director of MVFR), was able to get a donor to match a couple of
thousand raised by a certain date. Hit churches up. We found Quakers to be the
most responsive. A 13 year old in Charlottesville put together a yard sale and
raised a bunch of money. Get youth in the churches involved. Get
Micki Dickoff's video, "Not in Our Names" [made about the ’93
Journey in Indiana]. It makes a correlation between what happened in Indiana and
what's going to happen in Texas. Identify
area coordinators. This was one of the most important things I did. Once I got
area coordinators, all I needed to do was make sure they had the information
they needed and then follow up that the necessary tasks were being handled. Line
up your camps (or wherever the groups will be housed) ASAP. This is very
important. (see IV.H.1 Housing.) Get
mailing lists from everywhere. Include a letter and a good article written about
the Journey or about one or more of the speakers. Include this letter when
contacting anyone. Advertise
in magazines and newsletters. We missed a lot of good publications like
Fellowship for Reconciliation because we were too late. Get articles and
information to them or get them to do an article for the publication. Identify
goals. The 21 Day Rule in Virginia became a major goal and all the Journeyers
were up on it and it was something the public could be outraged about. I believe
that Texas has a 30 day rule. Even though it didn't get very far in the
legislature this year, it's a start. In Virginia, since VADP is for alternatives
to the death penalty, rather than "against" it, we stressed
alternatives. We found that more
people listened.
II. WHAT IS A JOURNEY AND HOW
DOES IT WORK? The
1993 Indiana Journey of Hope visited 15 cities and towns in 4 states in a
17‑day period. Speakers were sent out to 10 other towns as well. In total,
approximately 175 speaking events were held, including meetings with all kinds
of groups and classes, public rallies, concerts, scheduled interviews and talk
shows, and editorial board meetings. Leafleting and door-knocking provided other
forms of public contact. Some
120 people traveled with the Journey for longer or shorter times, including
about 30 members of Murder Victims’ Family Members and seven international
visitors. More than 200 other supporters joined the Journey while it was in
their town. Media
coverage of the Journey included more than 60 newspaper articles, 30 radio and
TV talk shows, and additional TV coverage from at least 25 stations. Four city
mayors made formal declarations in support of MVFR, and 25 groups hosted Journey
participants for meals. Subsequent
Journeys followed more or less this same pattern: 17 days covering 15‑20
primary cities throughout the state and sometimes into adjacent states. In
Georgia there were roughly 150 events, in California 125, in Virginia over 200
individual speaking events, and in Tennessee an estimated 150 events reached
about 12,000 Tennesseans. Again,
these events included public and private jr. high and high school classes and
assemblies (even some elementary classes); college classes; church services and
Sunday school classes; radio, television and newspaper interviews; meetings with
legislators, attorneys and editorial boards; marches, rallies and
demonstrations; tree plantings and silent vigils; concerts; and community forums
and debates. In its first four years alone, the Journey of Hope addressed over
60,000 people face‑to‑face, to audiences as small as two or as large
as 1400. It has reached uncounted millions through hundreds of items of print
and electronic media coverage. And it was the subject of an award‑winning
Japanese documentary film. Most
importantly, the Journey has a definite impact. Countless times, Murder Victim
Family members speakers have reported that one or two or five people approach
them after an event to say, "You changed my mind", "I used to
support the death penalty, but I don't know if I can anymore", or even,
"You've given me a lot to think about." The presence of the Journey
has also impacted policy and influenced the public debate: a public defender in
Indiana credited the Journey with helping to win life sentences in three capital
trials taking place during the 1993 Journey; the Virginia Journey invigorated
legislative action to repeal the 21 Day Rule. B.
A typical day on the Journey THURSDAY
-- Fort Wayne, Indiana will be main location for the day 6:00
am- One car leaves to take speakers
to Lafayette (where the Breakfast
crew begins to prepare the morning meal. 6:30
am- Drivers meet with driver
coordinator to receive maps and 7:00
am- Breakfast is served (and is
available until 7:45). People
who have just joined the Journey the previous evening are packets
and a brief orientation to "life on the Journey". 7:20
am- One car leaves with speakers to
reach Fort Wayne in meet
with Fort Wayne's local organizers to confirm all is ready for the 7:45
am- Morning briefing meeting for
all participants: ‑‑introduction
of new arrivals ‑‑general
announcements and reminders ‑‑request
for volunteers to take responsibility for one or more specific tasks
‑‑brief overview of the day's planned activities
‑‑a song or two to close 8:30
am- Everyone gathers to board the
vans, ready to depart. 8:45
am- Depart for Fort Wayne. 10:30
am- Arrive in Fort Wayne at city
park which is staging area for instructions. 11:00
am- March ‑‑ with
signs, banners, and leafleters ‑‑ to downtown 12
Noon- Noon‑hour rally
in plaza: Murder Victims’ Family Members speakers "Journey
of Hope Day" in recognition of Murder Victim Family Members. shirt
tables do a brisk trade with passers-by. 1:15
pm- Vans re-appear to take
everyone to the day's home base (a 3:00
pm- Three Murder Victims’ Family
Members representatives and a newspaper. Food
buyers shop for a few items needed to supplement the next day's 3:30
pm- A "Tree of Life" is
planted at the community center by have
lost and is dedicated to finding better ways of dealing with violent crime. 4:30
pm- Some journey-folk go to a busy
shopping area to distribute while
others go out in pairs to leaflet door‑to‑door in the opportunity
to talk with abolitionists from other states and countries. 6:00
pm- Everyone regathers at a local
Baptist church for a 7:00
pm- Evening program at the same
church, featuring Murder Victims’ Literature
and t‑shirt tables are again active. 8:45
pm- Vans leave to transport
everyone back to the state park 10:30
pm- Arrive at campground. Some
people go straight to bed, fine‑tune
the next day's plans.
The Tennessee Journey opened with a sold out benefit concert in Ryman
Auditorium featuring Steve Earle, the Indigo Girls, Jackson Browne, and Emmy Lou
Harris. In the middle of the
concert, Sister Helen Prejean talked about the Journey. She asked each member of
the Journey who was a Murder Victims’ Family Member, or who had a loved one on
Death Row, to come to the microphone and state their name and the name of their
loved one. One after another they came onstage. “My name is Lois Robison, and
I have a mentally ill son, Larry, on death row in Texas.” “My name is Renny
Cushing and my father, Robert Cushing, was shot to death in his home.”
“My name is Sally Peck.” “My name is Carol Duncanson. We are
sisters, and our 82 year old mother, Bernice O'Connor, was raped and
murdered.” “My name is SueZann
Bosler. My father, Reverend Billy Bosler, was stabbed to death in front of me. I
was stabbed six times, but I survived.” “My
name is Marietta Jaeger, and my 7 year old daughter, Susie, was kidnapped and
killed.” “My name is Bill Pelke, my grandmother, Ruth Pelke, was murdered in
Indiana.” “My name is Sam Reese Sheppard. My mother Marilyn, was murdered
when I was seven years old and my father, Dr. Sam Sheppard was wrongfully
convicted of her murder.” “My name is George White. My beloved wife Char was
shot to death in front of me. Sixteen months later, I was charged with her
murder.” “My name is Bud Welch.
My daughter, Julie, was killed in the Oklahoma City bombing.” The audience was
visibly moved by this group willing to stand up, share their painful experiences
and say, “Don't kill for me.” Sister
Helen led the applause. “These are some of the people who will be traveling in
Tennessee for the next two weeks, sharing the testimony of their personal
journeys from violence to healing, talking about how the death penalty does not
help victims’ families heal.” As
they walked offstage, Steve came out applauding and announced, “Those guys are
my heroes.”
The morning following the concert, the group drove to Memphis, enjoying
the sight of wild dogwoods and redbud trees in full bloom along the highway. A
large crowd, along with the media, turned out for a tree planting at His Way
Spiritual Growth Center. The victims’ family members dedicated the dogwood
tree to their lost loved ones with each shovelful of dirt in a solemn ceremony.
After a short lecture on the facts about the death penalty and dinner, members
of the Journey spoke. Renny Cushing, the Executive Director of Murder Victims’
Families for Reconciliation, moved many in the audience to tears with his story
of how his father, Robert, was killed by a shotgun blast to the chest, in the
front door of his home. He spoke of operating in the “dead zone”, going
through the motions of making funeral arrangements, listening to the painful
details during the criminal trial, of the pain he felt when people tried to
comfort him with “I hope they fry those people”.
Even the people who knew he opposed the death penalty assumed his
father's murder would change his mind. But Renny felt letting the man who
murdered his father change the principals his father had instilled in him would
be giving the killer too much power. He spoke of running into the son of the man
who killed his father, also a Robert, Jr., in the parking lot at the courthouse.
He found the compassion to tell him, “We both lost our fathers that day.”
As Bud Welch speaks, one gets to know
his daughter, Julie, personally. He paints a beautiful picture of her as he
shares how she discovered her love of language, lived as an exchange student in
South America to improve her Spanish, worked as an interpreter for the social
security office in Oklahoma City, and was on the verge of realizing her dream of
becoming a school teacher, when the bomb went off. Although Bud wanted to kill
Timothy McVeigh himself, he did not let this act of violence change his long
held belief that the death penalty was wrong. While there was a public
outpouring of sympathy for the families of the victims of the Oklahoma bombing,
there was no one to offer sympathy for Timothy McVeigh's father, who also lost a
son that day. Bud Welch, was able to reach beyond his own grief and loss to go
visit Timothy's father and to tell him he didn't blame him for his son's
actions. The next day a small group spoke at Christian
Brothers High School in Memphis. Felicia Draughon was the youngest of the group
and spoke the language of the students. “Do you know what it's like to have a
brother on Death Row? It sucks!”
Felecia told how her older brother had been raised in an abusive home,
gotten involved in drugs, started robbing stores for drug money, shot a clerk in
the course of the robbery, and was now on Death Row in Texas. One of the
students asks how she explains her brother going so bad and her turning out
okay, when they were both raised in the same abusive environment. “I was
lucky, someone reached me. Kids need mentors, someone to reach out to them, like
in Big Brothers/Big Sisters. But some kids just get skipped over, like my
brother. If you really want to make a difference in this world, reach out to a
kid who needs attention, whether through an organization like Big Brothers/Big
Sisters or on your own.”
Later that evening Steve
Earle told a large group of college students about witnessing the execution of
his pen pal of eleven years, Jonathan Nobles, in Texas. “In Jonathan's final
phone call to his mother she had asked him to sing for her, so as the poison
flowed into his veins, he sang “Silent Night”. When he got to the words
‘mother and child’, the breath rushed out of him like a cinderblock had been
dropped on his chest, and he was gone. The death certificate said
‘homicide’. What else could they call it?” Steve explains why he is
spending two weeks with people from all over the country and all walks of life,
sleeping in church basements and traveling by bus with the rest of the group.
“Tennessee is my home state, and it's too pretty of a state to start something
as ugly as executing people.” The group traveled to Chattanooga and Knoxville
and back to Nashville to deliver their message that the death penalty does not
help victims’ families heal in the aftermath of murder, instead it creates
more victim family members. In sharing their stories, they testify to the
healing power of forgiveness. They offer themselves as living examples of
rebuilding shattered lives in the aftermath of murder.
SueZann Bosler, who barely survived an attacker who broke into their home
and killed her father, explains, “Sharing my story helps me in my healing
process.” In Chattanooga, a woman approached one of the members of the
Journey. “My brother was murdered a few years ago. A lot of energy went into
finding and prosecuting the person who did it, but there was no one there to
tell me how to heal, how to get on with my own life. I didn't know there were
people like you, and I'm so glad you're here.” In a church in Chattanooga,
Lois Robison told how she tried so hard to get her paranoid‑schizophrenic
son Larry the mental heath care he needed, only to be told he could not be
institutionalized until he became violent. In his first and only act of
violence, five people died horribly and Larry was sentenced to death. She has
spent the last sixteen years trying to save her son's life. After she spoke, a
woman approached Lois and told her, “I am an attorney in the federal
prosecutor's office. As attorneys we are discouraged from taking circumstances
like yours into consideration, instead we are rated on how many cases we win.
After listening to you today, I'm going to have to tell my boss I cannot
prosecute capital cases any more.” With the grueling schedules
and often spartan accommodations, one wonders why these people volunteer year
after year for the Journey. But occasionally someone says, “I've always
believed in the death penalty, but you've given me something to think about.”
For members of the Journey of Hope ... from Violence to Healing™, those are
the responses that make the hardships of the journey worthwhile. As one local
volunteer put it when the Journey left Memphis, “my body was exhausted, but my
spirit was soaring!” Carrying
out a Journey of Hope requires attention to an astounding number of
responsibilities, tasks, and details. The only way this can be accomplished is
through a team effort. Large and small tasks must be delegated, including
coordination of responsibilities for major areas such as media, transportation,
speakers and events, food, and many others. At
the same time, a spirit of cooperation and mutual responsibility must be shared
by the whole group in order for everything to work out smoothly ... or work out
at all. As persons in leadership
set the tone, as participants respond to the spirit which is central to the
Journey itself, and as people are valued and affirmed, this cooperative attitude
can be counted upon to emerge. "The
Journey of Hope...from Violence to Healing
was incorporated in 1997 to continue organizing the Journey of Hope, along with
MVFR's participation and support. The purpose of "The Journey of Hope ...
from Violence to Healing is to continue in the tradition of previous
Journeys, organizing public education tours targeting various states and
designed to promote abolition of the death penalty, strengthen grassroots
activism, and build the base of supporters to expand abolition activity.
"The Journey of Hope" seeks to work in partnership with MVFR and will
share benefits of Journey activities with MVFR. "The Journey of Hope" bus, named "Abolition Movin',"
will
embark on a nationwide tour that will continue until the abolition of the death
penalty in the U.S. B.
A witness against state killing ‑‑ public education on the death
penalty A Journey is a powerful witness against
the death penalty, primarily because of the compelling message of Murder
Victims’ Family Members and the stories of individual members. There is power
also in any pro‑active event, especially one which moves from town to
town, so that it becomes local news. It allows local activists and local
community leaders to stand up with journeyfolk in making a witness they might
not otherwise make. The
public education potential of a Journey is enormous. It is limited only by the
scope, creativity, and quality of the preparations made in advance. People will
hear the issues very differently when presented in the context of MVFR’s
identity and message. Doors open to Murder Victims’ Family Members speakers
which would be closed to almost any other abolitionists. A well‑planned
Journey with astute follow‑up could change both the nature of the debate
and the actual practice of the death penalty in an area. C.
Strengthening local work for abolition If
a Journey of Hope is planned and carried out in an area, and afterward there is
little difference in the level and scope of abolition work in that area, a great
opportunity has been lost. A Journey is a potent organizing tool, and can
activate people and groups previously uninvolved in death penalty work. It
naturally appeals to people, and many local people will respond. The
Journey can thus help to build, strengthen or expand state and local grassroots
networks. To promote this, planners should incorporate post‑Journey plans
from the very start of organizing. Focusing on state‑specific activities,
or planning for an on‑going campaign provides a continuing focus and
activities to local planning groups which will help new people stay active after
Journey participants have returned home. Virginia's work on the 21 Day Rule is
an example of such a long‑term campaign that has retained momentum
following the Journey. In
addition, a Journey can build relationships with elected officials, media, crime
victims and their advocates, and other key contacts for ongoing abolition
activities. These new relationships, if nurtured, will be very important for the
future of abolition. When planning
post‑journey activities or an on‑going campaign, organizers should
be aware of the tremendous task that organizing a Journey will be (see IV.J:
Self Care for Journey Organizers). Be prepared for the state organizers and the
local planning group coordinators to be pretty burnt out by the time the Journey
ends. Because of this, follow‑up has probably been the biggest stumbling
block in each of the Journeys. Each organizing committee should consciously
address this issue and work to create solutions. Perhaps follow‑up
activities should be overseen by an organizer who is delegated little or no
responsibility for the Journey itself, who is then relatively fresh when the
time for follow‑up is at hand. Many other solutions are possible. There is
no proven model to work from, so give this area due attention. Please document
your successes and failures so they may be of use to future organizers (see VI.C:
Contributing to this Handbook). EXAMPLE:
Ellen Bryson (Tennessee ’99):
After the Tennesse Journey, the key organizers were pretty tired.
We relied on the major cities’ individual chapters of TCASK to carry us
through the short recovery time. Some
of the chapters held, and still hold, regular (some weekly) vigils and
sign-carrying demonstrations. (See
Appendix: “Stop State Executions” vigil).
All of them meet regularly. An
easy thing to start and maintain during this time is a petition to your state
governor. Or join in on the
international moratorium campaign,
Moratorium 2000 campaign with Sister Helen Prejean.
(See Appendix: Petitions, Moratorium 2000). In Tennessee TCASK and ACLU-TN started TME (or Tennesseans
for a Moratorium on Executions), a group that includes supporters such as
Amnesty International, the Catholic Dioceses of Knoxville, Memphis, and
Nashville, and other civil rights groups. TME
works to win public and political support for a moratorium in Tennessee.
We were lucky in that there was an important issue at hand that still
needed attention in our state after the Journey was over: Tennessee was getting
even closer to the first scheduled execution date in nearly 40 years.
This gave us focus and a way to carry on the Journey’s energy even when
people were tired. We were able to
keep up our spirit and move into our next battle. D.
Identifying and building relationships
with victims and victims’ groups Some
groups or individuals may react with strong objection to, even anger at, the
Journey's position on the death penalty. Be prepared for this reaction and be
ready to dialogue around areas of shared concern. Some may be ambivalent about
the death penalty and some may share the Journey's opposition. Some family
members may be opposed to the death penalty but may not feel ready to speak
publicly about it. Any victim family members who are interested in meeting with
Murder Victims’ Family Members and/or participating in part or all of the
Journey should be encouraged to do so. (see IV.C.3 Contacting victims’ groups
in the area.) E.
Impacting public policy and other purposes Any
group hosting a Journey of Hope may have its own particular purposes and goals
for the event. It may have to do with reaching a particular audience, creating
the climate for introduction of repeal legislation, or any other specific goal
which is consistent with the nature of a Journey. This purpose can be woven into
the planning of the Journey so that it is reinforced throughout the event. For
example, in Virginia the focus on the 21 Day Rule was easy to incorporate into
Journey events. Journey organizers prepared a one page handout with information
on the Rule, along with a letter that could be sent to legislators. Journey
participants and speakers were briefed on the issue and included information on
the 21 Day Rule when making presentations. Organizers found that this issue had
a broader appeal than abolition‑‑even those who continued to support
the death penalty were struck by the unfairness of this policy. The activities
of the Journey invigorated legislative action to abolish the rule and provided
an issue for on‑going work that continued after the Journey had left. EXAMPLE: Anne-Marie Moyes (Tennessee ’99): At the time the Journey
came to Tennessee, the state had yet to have a post-Furman
execution. We hoped the Journey
would encourage folks to question the wisdom of restarting the death machine in
Tennessee. EXAMPLE: Harmon Wray
(Tennessee ‘99): Tennessee had not had an
execution for 39 years, so the death penalty was not “real” to most
Tennesseans, even though we had 95-100 people on Death Row.
Tennessee was getting close to its first scheduled exection at the time
the Journey came to our state. The
political climate was (and is) unfavorable for the Journey in particular and for
anti-death penalty activism in general. But
today it’s better than it has been in 25 years, and the Journey was a big step
in bringing us to this point, in my view.
The
need for such diversity should be obvious: if the planning group is made up
solely of active Christians, for example, it may plan too many activities in
which people of other religious faiths (or nonreligious) would feel
uncomfortable. And if the group is all white, it is not likely to know or be
known by many key people who can help make the Journey a success. Ideally, this
central group (and every local planning group) should be a microcosm of the
people the Journey is intended to reach. EXAMPLE:
CA organizer: Each Journey needs to create solutions
to the diversity issue‑‑to insure that all communities are
represented and organized. Lack of diversity was a major issue in California,
where we missed opportunities in key communities, but it is an area where we
could have done better on all Journeys. Each
organizing group should explicitly address this issue and actively organize for
and with a diverse base; leaving no stone unturned. Attend meetings of the
groups you wish to involve, don't expect them to come to you. Ask yourselves,
"Who haven't we talked to yet?" Look at your planning group, "Who
isn't here who should be?" This
should be an important objective--do not think it will take care of
itself.
We did not do a great job with respect to diversity. Our planning group was almost all white and, not
surprisingly, most of our speaking engagements were at predominantly white
churches. I think it’s important
to put together a diverse planning/organizing committee in order to reach
diverse audiences.
2. Meetings.
In Indiana we met monthly in the year before the Journey, and were in
contact much more often by telephone. We alternated our meetings between central
Indiana (Indianapolis, state capital) and northwest Indiana (Bill's house, and
close to Chicago) for the convenience of various members. When in Indianapolis,
we also met with local Journey organizers. Our
meetings were fun. We often opened with a round of "good news" from
everyone, we appreciated each other's work, we forgave each other’s
shortcomings, and so we looked forward to being together. Since we met only
monthly, we met long. At Bill's house especially, we might meet for five hours,
with a supper break. We found that the basic items on our agenda remained the
same in every meeting (basically the list of items in the “IV.
PREPARATIONS" section) but that we usually saw progress on most fronts each
month. Each meeting would have some time for brainstorming ideas, and this is
important. Our
division of responsibilities was pretty clear, but flexible. Sometimes we
shifted responsibilities, but we tried to be sure we knew who was doing what, so
that we would not duplicate efforts or let something slip through. EXAMPLE:
VA organizer: Our local planning committee started
with core group from church peace committees and ended up with 6‑7 very
hardworking (i.e. overworked) people. There wasn't much communication between
our group and groups in adjacent areas. Our
meetings weren't fun. Since this guide was used as a "bible" during
the planning, we read this and expected that we too would develop a sense of
fellowship within the group. However, divisiveness within the leadership created
on‑going tensions which set the tone for the rest of the group. It is
important that you find people who are willing to work well together, with a
spirit of cooperation, fellowship and tolerance. Tensions between individuals
can and will spill over to the whole planning process and will impact the
effectiveness of planning and implementing your events.
This is the heart of the Journey. Getting Murder Victims’ Family
Members folks in contact with the public, or with selected groups, is what the
Journey is about. (See Appendix:
Speaking Engagements).
1. Determining the
route/scope of the Journey.
Start with the broad strokes. Where do you want to go? Remember your
central purposes as you choose locations for major events and the general route
of the Journey. A Journey should not be spread over too large an area, or it
will not make much of an impact anywhere. In 1993 we covered Indiana pretty
well, and added Chicago, Dayton, and Louisville. That may have been too large,
but we wanted to give three other state coalitions a chance to make something of
the Journey in their states. A Journey could just as well be carried out all in
one city or county. Thinking strong is more important than thinking big. In Tennessee, the Journey went to the four main cities and a
few other areas. But they talked to
about 12,000 people. If you have a
long narrow state like Tennessee, you might try to concentrate on covering major
areas more thoroughly- media coverage is easier this way, etc.
But this will vary from state to state.
2. Determining when and where to hold major events. State capitals and Death Row prisons are
natural locations for major events, but other sites may do just as well. Perhaps
a county courthouse which is/was the site of a trial you want to use to get a
certain message across, or a site with important civil rights history would be
better than a capitol building. It depends on your basic goals, and on your
unique set of circumstances. Whatever marches and outdoor rallies
you plan, be sure to get the necessary permits far ahead of time. Those
bureaucracies can move slowly, and you may have to appeal or appear in person to
make your case, so start early! 1.
Contacting victims' groups in the area. It is important to contact any crime
victim or victims’ family groups in the area, and to do it early in your
planning process. And perhaps, in some towns your organizing will turn up other
family members of murder victims. You may find victims’ families who are
supportive and interested in helping with the Journey. Their presence on the
state or local planning groups will be very important, and they should be
invited to speak locally, both as part of the advance publicity and as part of
the events when the Journey comes to town. That local voice is very important.
However, if the family member is at all hesitant about "going public"
or speaking to groups, then respect that choice. It would be very wrong to push
a family member to be more public than they want to be. Also,
you will begin to build some connections, and those should be cultivated. You
can nurture those relationships in a spirit of mutual respect and on the common
ground of concern for crime victims and their families, even if you disagree on
the death penalty. Keep them informed of your plans, even if they are not
supportive, just to keep the door open. If there are aspects of their work you
appreciate, a public affirmation of those aspects might warm their hearts toward
you. E Because identifying victims’ families
was not emphasized or worked on aggressively in our local area planning process,
we didn't identify local victims to participate in the Journey or in the
planning. Some informal connections were attempted, but those people were not
ready to participate.
4. Building and working with local planning committees.
The importance of broad‑based, hard‑working local planning
groups cannot be over‑stated. They are key to the impact and success of
the Journey locally. After you know in general the areas you want the Journey to
visit, begin a list of contacts for each town or city. Use statewide or national
contacts to find local ones: call religious, civil rights, peace & justice,
legal advocacy and other organizations to ask for local contacts who might be
interested. Get the NCADP list for the area. Think of anyone you know in those
areas, and check with people you know to have lots of contacts. Then begin to
call or visit people in each town (assuming you're doing a statewide Journey) to
give them a brief description of the Journey, and offer to send some information
‑they'll probably agree to receiving some information- and then you can
call back later to see what they think. Ask each person you talk to, "Who
else in your town might be interested in a project like this?" Sometimes it
helps them to think of other contacts if you suggest some categories: "For
instance, can you think of people from the religious community, from communities
of color, from peace and justice groups, or from youth groups or student
organizations?" Just keep collecting names and calling and sending
information and asking for more names to contact. Certainly not all of the
people whose names you gather will join the planning group, but you are building
an excellent list for publicity of Journey events and ongoing abolition work. If, in fact, there is an abolition
group based in that town, you have a great head start in local organizing. But
many local (and even state) abolition groups are much too narrowly‑based,
and you do not want to limit your contacts to that group alone. If you approach
them with the idea of the Journey as something which could greatly add to their
active membership in the long run, most existing groups will be excited at the
prospect. (And those who are not need to be challenged, anyway.) If you have access to a newsletter that reaches an
interested audience, try advertising there first.
(See Appendix: Tennessee Lifelines
cover). As you gather names, try to get a sense
of the interpersonal politics of the situation in that town. You don't want to
hitch your wagon to the one person in town that everyone has gotten fed up with,
and no one wants to work with. Get a sense, too, of who can be counted on for
follow‑through, and whose endorsement carries weight in the town. If you
know the date or approximate date that the Journey would be in their area, test
that date with everyone you talk to, so that you avoid conflicting with another
major event. The
local committees don’t have to be large in number. The Tennessee co-sponsor (Tennessee Coalition to Abolish
State Killing) had four small, but active, chapters with which to work.
The main group was in Nashville, the state capital.
They formed the heart of the planning committee.
Even though TCASK was a small non-profit, we were fortunate to hire two
staff people on January 1, 1999- four months before the start of the Journey. Also there were volunteers who were able to donate many
hours of their time. We also
had a volunteer helping out full-time from January to April.
I think the question is not so much whether the organization is large or
small, but rather how well-established it is and how committed the volunteers
are. For example, a group of less
than 10 volunteers with the Memphis chapter were extremely organized and
dedicated. The Memphis leg of the
tour went incredibly well and smoothly. The
agenda for this meeting should be simple. Do not expect to make any major
decisions here, but just to meet people, get them excited about the event,
clarify the goals and general design of the Journey, and hear what they feel are
priorities for the Journey in their town. It would be ideal to have Murder
Victims’ Family Members present to talk about their own experience and about
MVFR, but a video can be a substitute. It is imperative that at least one of the
main Journey organizers be there, even if it is a long drive for one meeting,
because there is no substitute for meeting people face‑to‑face. However,
the Journey organizer should not do all the talking at this meeting (or any
meeting). Ask people to talk about why they are interested in the Journey, how
the Journey might benefit their organization or constituency, and/or how they
feel they or their group might contribute to the Journey. Get them to think
about other people they will bring to the next meeting. Do some brainstorming.
Draw out quiet people a little, and don't let talkative people dominate. People
are more likely to commit themselves to a project through talking about it than
through listening to someone else talk about it. Be
sure to set a date and place for the next meeting, and try to see that everyone
has something to do in the meantime. Leave a copy of the video and lots of
flyers for them to use in talking with other folks. After
this initial meeting, stay in close contact with one or more people so that you
know how things are progressing, and so that you can be helpful. If you can get
back for one or more subsequent meetings, that would be great. Also,
stay in touch through regular mailings, which can carry general news about how
overall plans for the Journey are developing, and ideas for organizers. You must
be clear about your expectations of local organizers right from the start, so
that no one feels let down or overtaxed. Use the phone freely, and check in with
local coordinators often ‑‑ more frequently as the date of the event
approaches. Appreciate them for what they have accomplished, help them think
through the next steps, and encourage rather than criticizing. Make their job
just a little easier by providing simple forms to be filled out on each
interview or speaking event and by supplying press packets, videos, and whatever
else they need. When your local organizers call you with a request, be sure to
respond promptly! Ideally,
a local planning group would include a representative cross‑section of the
community, and would divide responsibilities so that each of the following has
one person/chairperson who is responsible only for this one piece of the
project:
1.
lining up local speaking events (This should have several people, each
responsible for events among a different constituency.) 2.
media coverage 3.
logistics ‑‑ meals, local transport, a home base, etc. 4.
local publicity and recruitment of local participation
5. each major event,
such as a concert or large public program, needs its own coordinator 6.
contact with local victims, groups 7.
local permits for marches and rallies
8.
overall coordination ‑‑ following up to see that everything
is being done, and
that it all fits together. If
possible, the person responsible for each of these areas should have one or two
others helping. The
local planning groups are the heart of the organizing process, so form and
nurture them well. In a town which does not have an existing abolition group,
your local planning committee can grow into that role during and after the
Journey. This is one of the major long‑term benefits of a Journey of Hope. EXAMPLE:
VA organizer: When setting up local planning
committees, it is important to provide a timeline so that local organizers have
a guide for what should be done when. My advice to future organizers: first
thing is to plot out the cities you'll be staying in and start looking for
housing. Many camps/retreat centers, etc. start booking a year in advance, so
this should be top priority. Of course, before this, local organizers need to be
recruited/identified and they should rapidly work to assemble local planning
committees. The
Journey of Hope video "Not in our Name" was a good tool and was used
quite a bit. We showed it at
initial state and local planning meetings, lent it to churches and schools, etc.
It helped people to visualize the Journey. One
frustration was the lack of standardization throughout state‑ we had 20
local planning committees inventing the same wheel. Also, the local organizers
need lots of organizing support and direction as many may be committed but
inexperienced or new to this kind of organizing. (See Appendix: Partial List of Responsibilities). The
3 fold brochure is the best for local use; it can be included in mailings, left
in churches, libraries, etc. This is something that should be done early, even
if it requires several revisions down the road. Have space for state‑wide
and local‑specific contact information; e.g. a statewide address on the
brochure and a blank space where local groups can stick labels with local
contact information. Many solutions
are possible.
5. Setting up large numbers of speaking events. Any Journey is sure to have a number
of marches, rallies, public demonstrations or vigils and the like. But the heart
of the Journey, and the bulk of its workload, is likely to be large numbers of
individual speaking events. Local planning groups and the state planning
committee alike will be concerned with setting up events where Journey speakers
can directly address a wide variety of audiences. Venues
for speaking events include, but are not limited to: elementary school, jr. high
and high school classes and assemblies (public and private, religious and
non-religious); colleges and university classes and assemblies; churches,
temples, mosques, etc., including worship services, religious discussion groups
and Sunday school/religious education classes; social organizations (e.g.
Rotary, Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, Optimist Club, etc.); radio, television
and newspaper interviews and meetings with editorial boards; meetings with
legislators, District Attorneys/prosecutors and defense attorneys; concerts or
other performing arts events where Journey speakers might speak; community
forums and debates, the aforementioned marches, rallies, public demonstrations
and vigils; the Journey has also become known for, and encourages the planning
of, tree plantings as symbolic affirmations of life. (See Appendix: Main Events Statewide for examples from the
Tennessee Journey.) This list is by no means
exhaustive--do not let it limit your creativity. You should look for
other types of events best suited to your particular area and the goals that are
established for your Journey. Be aware of your limitations when booking events
(number of speakers, transportation, necessary rest for participants, etc.)
while at the same time trying to maximize the impact from those limited
resources; maximize the bang for your buck. Within
the above events, there are competing priorities that will need to be balanced.
For example, when planning events in schools, you may have the option of
addressing a school‑wide assembly or speaking to a succession of classes.
An assembly allows a very large audience to be addressed without draining a
speaker (or requiring two or three speakers) as would happen in addressing a
series of classes. However, addressing a series of classes allows speakers to
reach a smaller, more intimate group, with more opportunity for questions and
interaction and a greater impact. Also, there must be some balance between
speaking to those who already agree with us‑‑"preaching to the
choir" (e.g. social justice groups opposed to the death penalty or public
events where the audience must come to the speaker) vs. speaking to random
crosssections of the community or "captive audiences" (e.g. schools,
social organizations or church services.) These and other questions will need to
be addressed by each organizing group based on the particulars of their
situations. Also,
many of the groups who you approach for events can also provide honoraria for
speaking engagements, financial assistance and other resources. (see IV.E
Fundraising.) EXAMPLE:
VA organizer: In accepting events, we took any
requests for speakers and were grateful (getting people to agree to have
speakers come at all was difficult and was a source of frustration). EXAMPLE: Ellen Bryson (Tennessee
’99):
TCASK already had access to lists of groups in the local peace community.
We called them, along with local activists, and asked for more names.
Many people on our planning committee were well-connected too. We were able to send letters requesting an audience to
targeted groups that were actually written by “one of their own” -our
committee member who was personally involved in that group.
An example is Harmon Wray, who wrote a letter to the United Methodist
Churches in the area. He is well
known in those circles for his work with the United Methodist Restorative
Justice Ministries in Nashville. Also,
we had a few “ins” at some of the big universities in our state through
professors on our committee. Use
your connections! (See Appendix:
“Dear Colleague in Ministry” letter). When
approaching any group, remember you are looking for a wide variety of things:
financial donations; volunteers for planning committee; in‑kind donations
(copying, supplies, food for camp); hospitality meal (there or at camp);
speaking engagements; volunteers for during Journey (drivers, etc.); people to
come to rallies; connections to other individuals/groups they work with
(referrals); etc., etc.
I chaired the committee working on speaking gigs.
Three main problems were: 1. not knowing how many speakers would be
available to plan gigs for until the last minute, 2. having to cancel a couple
of gigs because supposedly all speakers were needed at one single gig in another city (which
seemed to me not a good use of our speakers), and 3. we didn’t try hard enough
to get gigs before more mainstream groups like civic clubs and less liberal
churches. So much of what we had
was “preaching to the choir”. It takes a lot of work and advance planning to get enough speaking
arrangements. Each speaker is eager
to speak a minimum of two times a day and it’s important to have enough for
folks to do. It’s challenging to
gauge exactly how many speaking engagements to schedule because you don’t know
until late in the game exactly how many speakers will be coming.
But I would say it’s better to plan too many and have to cancel some
than to be left with too few. Reaching some groups requires very advance planning in
order to get on their schedules (ex: Rotary Clubs). I think we missed out by not generating more engagements with
groups like Rotary Clubs that have large audiences with a conservative bent.
(See Appendix: Letter to Kiwanis Club).
1. Big name speakers. If you can get Danny Glover or Rosalyn Carter or
Harry Blackmun or Jesse Jackson to speak as a part of the Journey, it will
certainly help catch media and public attention. If you have an "in"
with someone whose name can draw a crowd, then go for it. But working through
channels to get a big‑name speaker seldom works, and can take a great deal
of time and energy. Use your own judgment.
2. Murder Victims’ Family Members. In many ways, a Journey is one event
which has less need for well‑known names in order to get attention. Just
letting people know about the Journey and what it is about is enough to go a
long way. And the main message of the Journey is a Murder Victims’ Family
Members’ message, so you don't want to use celebrities in a way that would
eclipse Murder Victims’ Family Members. It is important to work with the
Journey organization as well as with MVFR to contact family members around the
country who may be able to take part in your Journey as speakers or as
non‑speaking participants. The more Murder Victims’ Family Members you
have, the more events you can cover without over‑working your speakers.
And the time together with people who support and understand can be very
important personally for family members. So get an early start with recruiting
Murder Victims’ Family Members speakers.
3. Locally known speakers and local leaders. As you work with local
planning groups, try to identify local leaders, especially people who might not
be expected to be in favor of abolition, who can speak out along with the
visiting Murder Victims’ Family Members and other journeyfolk. In many ways,
the Journey presents an especially safe opportunity for a community leader,
elected official, or religious head to make his or her debut as an abolitionist.
On the other hand, don't overlook people who have already spoken out. What you
want is a speaker whose stand against the death penalty and in support of murder
victims, families will mean something to people. You don't want to hold large
public events which have only out‑of‑town speakers. Big mistake!
Sara Sharpe had raised significant funds from a Tennessee family
foundation to hire TCASK staff and open an office.
This was critical. Steve
Earle’s Journey-opening benefit concert at the Ryman Auditorium raised
much-needed funds at the beginning of the Tennessee Journey. (See Appendix: Newspaper article on the concert).
A few months before the start of the Tennessee Journey, TCASK was
fortunate to get a grant from a private foundation to support TCASK generally.
This grant enabled TCASK to hire two staff members who donated all of
their time to Journey preparations. We
also hosted one house party at the home of a wealthy supporter.
A Journey speaker (Sam Reese Sheppard) was flown in to speak at the party
and it was a successful fundraiser. I
think this could be a good model for other groups to use.
2. Individual contributions.
A much more dependable source is contributions from individuals, which
come in three sizes: small, medium and large. Small (up to $100) contributions
can be gathered through fundraising events, but these can take more time and
energy than they are worth, unless they have a significant value in other ways
besides as fundraisers. Passing the hat at gatherings where you speak about the
Journey can be good, but sometimes it is not really appropriate. The overall
best approach is direct mail, because it reaches so many people and also gives
them information about the event and an invitation to participate. Good lists of
supportive abolitionists are not so hard to come by, and a good letter/package
will not lose money in this case.
3. Major Gifts.
Medium ($100‑$500) contributions come from special individualized
letters or visits or telephone calls to people you think can and might want to
support the project. It you do it by letter, send plenty of information about
MVFR and the Journey, including some personal stories, and some information
about the budget and the amount yet to be raised. Large (over $500) gifts result
from basically the same approach to people with even larger checkbooks and/or
commitments to the issue. Sometimes the approach for a large gift is similar to
a foundation proposal. We were able to raise several thousand dollars through
about fifteen letters and a few telephone calls to people who gave partly
because of the wonderful nature of the project, and partly because we are
friends and we asked. Too
often, organizers/fundraisers would rather spend weeks on a few proposals to
anonymous foundations and then "hope for the best", when they could
put a day or two into a dozen or more letters to people they know whose response
is much more dependable. If you find it hard to ask for money, this is a good
opportunity to give it a try, for a very attractive cause. Anyway, don't
overlook asking for major gifts.
4. Honoraria and church special collections.
A great way to raise money as part of the Journey organizing itself is to
seek funds from organizations that host Journey events. Many social
organizations, schools, colleges and other groups offer honoraria for visiting
speakers. Certainly, you should not risk losing good events by making an
honorarium a pre‑condition of booking an event. But for many
organizations, honoraria are a standard part of setting up their programming.
You should always ask if there is an honorarium for providing a speaker to their
school or organization. Similarly,
when Journey speakers are scheduled to address congregations during church
services, many churches will take up a special collection or "love
offering" to be contributed to the Journey. Again, without making it a
pre-condition, when booking these events get into the habit of asking
church officials if a special collection can be taken up for the Journey.
5. Merchandise. Books
and video and audiotapes are other good merchandising items. Many books are
available on consignment from various organizations in the movement (e.g.
Amnesty International, NCADP, Louisiana Coalition [for Dead Man Walking],
etc.)
Abe Bonowitz (CUADP) handled merchandising.
I think this worked fairly well especially with respect to the variety of
t-shirts available. TCASK did order
too many Journey t-shirts and it’s possible that the availability of other
death penalty t-shirts through Abe undercut the sales of the Journey t-shirts.
6. Registration fees.
It is not inappropriate to charge a modest registration fee for the
Journey participants, and very few people find this an impediment to their
participation. For those few, a waiver of fees or other arrangements can be
made. In Indiana we asked people to contribute $15 for each day they would be
with us, or $75 for a week. For this they received two or three meals a day, a
bed at night, and all necessary transportation. Not bad, we thought, and people
generally agreed. This can be a significant part of the support it takes to do a
Journey. (Fees may be waived, in addition, for Journey speakers.)
7. In‑kind donations.
The other side of fundraising is keeping costs down. Some ideas to that
effect are in sections below, but in‑kind contributions should be
mentioned at this point. Lots of groups, businesses, or individuals can
contribute goods and services easier than cash. These could be anything:
vehicles, food, use of a telephone credit card for a specified time, copying,
mailing, use of an office telephone or work space ... the list is endless. Best
of all is the donation of a staff person's time. When we contacted national and
state groups to co‑sponsor our Journey, we asked how they could support
the project, and many were very willing to offer in‑kind assistance. Locally, our expenses were minimal
(copying & postage mostly); in‑kind donations of computer use and
copier use were a God‑send. Also important were donations of time:
stuffing envelopes, running errands, etc. F.
Recruiting other Journey participants
2. General recruitment, publicity and inviting local participants.
So how do you get people to come with you on the Journey? Work closely
with the Journey and do so early on to invite MVFR members. For inviting
everyone else, here are some ideas: Personal invitations are best of all. Call,
visit, or write to people you know or people you think should come. Get information into lots of
publications, with your address and telephone number listed clearly. Previous
Journeys have used a 4‑page newsprint flyer which is the best way to put a
lot of information in people's hands with a very low printing cost.
Make them in large quantities and send them out, pass them out, give
stacks to local organizing groups, send stacks to co-sponsoring organizations,
etc. Do large‑scale mailings to MVFR, NCADP, your state coalition, Amnesty
International, and lots of other lists. Be sure to mail something to all the
participants of past Journeys. All of these mailings can serve both as
invitations to participate and as invitations to contribute funds. In such
mailings, you might want to include a list of people who have already committed
to be part of the Journey. People will look at the list, see friends or people
they'd like to know, and are motivated to come. Go to conferences and sell
shirts or set up a literature table or do a workshop. If you can't attend a
conference, see if you can get a basic flyer inserted in all the conference
participants’ packets. Work through your local planning groups to do
recruitment as well, not only for the day you're in their town, but for other
parts of the Journey as well. They can use many of the above ideas just as well
on the local level. (See example in Appendix: Texas Registration Form).
3. Recruiting specific people for particular roles. Capable support
people are vital to the Journey, and sometimes they have to sacrifice. They may
spend time away from the group when they'd rather be with it, or driving when
they'd like to be sleeping, or cooking when they'd rather be listening to
speakers. They have a crucial role, but it is mostly behind the scenes. They
must be people who are dependable and good‑natured, and it helps if they
are intelligent, resourceful, and don't need much sleep. In addition, there are
certain support roles needed during the Journey which head organizers should
keep a particular eye toward filling with experienced, reliable people. (see V.C
organization and delegation of responsibilities.) This is very true. The
behind‑the‑scenes work creates the heart of the
Journey‑‑the vehicle in which this incredible work gets done.
Good‑natured, hard‑working people‑‑if you can put out an
ad to recruit these sorts of people, you will surely have a Journey that runs
smoothly!
Start planning well in advance. Bring
in other groups, such as churches, local Amnesty International groups, etc., to
help. You’ll need one strong organizer in each city on the
Journey. The team concept; team players are so
important‑‑people working differently together with a common
purpose. To get people to share of themselves, organizers should themselves
share: sharing responsibility, praise and reward. As we write this, the feelings come up
within me again from the Indiana Journey. I was the main coordinator and so
carried a great deal of responsibility. We tend to be a perfectionists. Over and
over, on the Indiana Journey, we depended (actually the Journey depended) upon
the work of Grant Verbeck, who coordinated vehicles and drivers and campsites
and more; on Mike Heath, who coordinated airport runs, made most of them
himself, and carried it off flawlessly; on Toni Moore, who kept an eye on the
schedule and a finger on the pulse of the group, and who facilitated meetings
with purpose and sensitivity; on Laura Van Voorhis, who kept track of the
finances ‑‑ no small feat on the road with so many people; on
Maureen Kelly, who coordinated media coverage, made shuttle runs to Chicago, and
cheered up everyone in her presence; and on so many others who may not have
carried a major ongoing responsibility but helped out in major ways. For
example, Katy Quigley and Michael Sintef had hardly arrived from New Orleans to
join us when they were asked (Or did they volunteer?) to leave again, driving
some speakers ahead to the next town. A few days later, they stepped in and made
breakfast for everyone, unsolicited. We still feel a powerful sense of love and
appreciation for the sacrifice and skill of these people in what they did for
the Journey. The
reason we mention these feelings is that they are directly linked to the
feelings of worry, burden, fear, and overwhelming responsibility which can wear
down a Journey coordinator so quickly. We worked closely with the coordinators
of the Pilgrimage and the TASK march, and we know they also experienced the same
need for, and great appreciation for, responsible people to share the load. Therefore
it is important to recruit such people specifically as Journey participants,
either because you already have a role in mind for them, or just because you
know they're good and you can work well with them.
1. Press packets.
Early on, you need to put together a press packet which includes: press
release(s): general and on any major events being highlighted, information about
The Journey of Hope ... From Violence to Healing, Inc.ä
and MVFR, specific information about the Journey, the brochure, etc.,
stories of individual Murder Victims’ Family Members participating in the
Journey, clippings of articles about past Journeys or about Murder Victims’
Family Members speakers. This press packet will be sent to all national and
state media you're trying to get into, and distributed to local planning group
media coordinators.
2. What audience are you trying to reach?
The first questions are, "What media do we want to get into?”
“What audience are we trying to reach in this state?” And think about the
specific goals you've set for your Journey. It is difficult, but not impossible,
to get into the national media. Like trying to get a big‑name speaker, it
may not be worth trying unless you already have an "in" with someone
in that field. State‑wide media is very accessible for Murder Victim
Family Members and a Journey. If possible, don't just send a packet, but try to
arrange a meeting. A series of two or three mailings to important media contacts
may help develop interest. Also, see if it is possible to
"piggy‑back" onto an existing story to generate media interest
in the Journey.
3. Central media coordination.
A Journey needs an experienced media coordinator who should also be a
member of the central planning group and attend those planning meetings. This
person's office might become the media headquarters before and during the event.
You need a stable base with a telephone answered day and evening in the time
just before and during the Journey. You also need a media coordinator and
designated spokespersons traveling with the Journey, but more on that later.
4. Local media work.
Local planning groups are key to getting local media. In Fort Wayne,
Indiana, we had a good local media coordinator who simply carried through on
what we suggested, and we got speakers into talk shows and interviews on four TV
stations, both major mainstream newspapers and the leading
African‑American paper, and this was all before the Journey came to town!
You may have to walk people through what they need to do, and put press packets
in their hands, but they can be successful. It would be a good idea to give
local media coordinators a page or two of guidelines and suggested steps, unless
they are already experienced in media work. EXAMPLE:
VA organizer: State and national media was handled by
state coordinators and press packets were distributed to local organizers to
forward to local media. Remember to provide ample direction for local organizers
in this area. EXAMPLE: Anne-Marie Moyes (Tennessee ’99):
A publicist with Steve Earle’s management company donated her services
for the Tennessee Journey. I think
this worked well getting publicity for the benefit concert that kicked off the
Journey, but was not very effective at generating more general publicity on the
“meat” of the Journey. Sara
Sharpe did a great job at publicity in Chattanooga.
I think it’s important to build relationships with key media people to
get them on board months before the start of the Journey—it wasn’t
very effective for us to rely on press releases sent out just before the
Journey’s start.
Contact media people early and encourage them to interview speakers in
advance. If possible, try to schedule pre-Journey trips for 1-2
Board members to meet with editorial boards and reporters. Feeding,
housing, and safely transporting a large group of people in what may be
unfamiliar territory is a large undertaking. It needs careful planning and
preparation, and it needs dependable people caring for each part of the picture.
1. Lodging will have to be in a low‑cost situation, and should keep
people together as much as possible. One
night on the Pilgrimage, after a particularly trying day, the group arrived in
Americus, Georgia, to find that local planners had arranged for them to split up
and stay with several families and households in town. There was quiet
resistance, and then negotiation. The result was that we slept on a hard floor
at Habitat for Humanity together, rather than divide the group for the night. Lodging
options include church or synagogue buildings, camps, community centers or
homeless shelters (many shelters have space that is full in cold weather but
little used during warmer seasons). What has worked best in most cases has been
either camps or group campsites at state parks. In 1993 we housed people in
state park group camps for less than $2.00 per person.
Using a group camp means that you have your own area of the park,
complete with institutional kitchen, dining room, restrooms, showers, and
sometimes other facilities. A church or scout camp might provide the same
options, but there will likely be more freedom in the state park. One other note
about finding lodging: group camps are very popular and you must get your
reservation in early. In Indiana we learned that we could reserve campsites as
much as a year ahead, and we did so. Having a suitable place to stay makes a big
difference in the whole Journey. People
appreciate not having to move camp every day or two, so it is preferable to stay
in one place longer. On the other
hand, if you are covering a whole state with your Journey, you may want to find
two or three locations, so that the daily drive to the towns you're visiting is
not so long. In northern Virginia, the Journey
stayed at a state park campground, $200/night (40 people: $5/person/day). It was
a group camp with cabins, bathblocks, and a main lodge. Cabins were unheated; be
sure to be sensitive to weather conditions when making housing arrangements.
It helps a lot when local chapters are able to manage the logistical
details for the segment of the Journey in their area.
But if a local chapter is not sufficiently developed/organized, it can
make logistical planning difficult. Lodging
varied significantly from city to city. It
seems that with more advanced planning, the lodging options may be better.
In Memphis, we were able to stay at a comfortable retreat center.
This was much better than staying on cots in a church basement or
parochial school.
2. Meals should be simple and plentiful. When people are away from home
and dependent on you for meals, it can cause them some anxiety and concern. You
can avoid tensions by making food available for snacks anytime, by making ample
meals, and by allowing people to have a meal on their own sometimes.
We told people that we would provide two meals per day, and that many
days they might be on their own for the third. People appreciated the freedom
and flexibility of this arrangement, and in fact the group may be en route to
somewhere at mealtime, anyway. One
of the best things you can do about meals is to ask local organizers to set up
hospitality meals for you while you are in their town. Work out with them
whether that might be for lunch or dinner or both. Churches or synagogues,
community groups, peace and justice groups, or local abolitionist groups all are
possible hosts. These meals not only save you the cost of a meal, and the
considerable trouble of taking along food and preparing a meal in a strange
kitchen, but they provide a great opportunity for meeting with local
townspeople. In addition, it provides another kind of way for local people to
support the Journey, one which will appeal more to some folks. Make sure there is plenty of food at
camp: breakfast food and food to pack lunches when necessary. Be sensitive to people's differing
dietary needs. The registration form should ask for information on any
particular dietary needs. (see Appendix for registration forms) There should be
vegetarian options at all meals. Local organizers who will be arranging for
meals in their areas should be clear on this as well.
3. Transporting the group each day to and from the overnight lodging site
and the locations of that day's activities can be a major concern. If you know a
group that has a dependable bus, that can be a great asset. Vans can carry from
seven to fifteen people, and can either be borrowed or rented. People who drive
to the Journey may offer their cars, but you may need these for taking small
groups of speakers and support persons here and there on schedules different
from that of the main group, or for airport/train/bus station runs. In
general, the fewer vehicles and drivers you have to keep track of in some
strange town, the better. But if everyone is on one bus, then you'll need local
drivers to take people to the separate locations of the meetings and programs
you have scheduled that day. Let your local organizers know your vehicle needs,
and they may find buses or vans you can use for part or all of your Journey.
This is a good area to seek in‑kind donations: churches and schools may be
able to provide vans, buses or other transportation. Each local planning group should have
someone responsible for local transportation and as much as possible, should
provide local drivers. Handling transportation well (with local drivers
especially) is an important part of caring for Journey participants (less
anxiety, distracting energy spent, etc.). EXAMPLE:
CA organizer: In all instances, prepare driver
packets for all events, including event sheet with contact name, phone, etc.,
highlighted maps for entire route, arrival time, estimated travel time (account
for traffic/time of day), departure time. (See
Appendix: Contact Numbers). Central
planning groups should have someone responsible for overall transportation
(moving the whole group from one camp/city to another, sending splinter units
out from the main group, etc.)
4. Transportation to and from the Journey takes careful
planning in advance, and creative coordination and resourcefulness at the time
of the event. Lots of people will be arriving at the beginning of the Journey,
but others will arrive and depart throughout the whole time. At the end, of
course, there will be a mass departure which must be well orchestrated. Be
sure to include on your registration form a place for people to indicate how
they are arriving and whether they need to be met somewhere. Do plan to meet
people at airports and bus stations, but try to make sure that they come to one
close to where you will be on the day they arrive. However, if public
transportation out of an airport is easy and not too expensive, then you might
ask people to get themselves to a more convenient spot for you to meet them. In
this case, be sure to send them all the information they'll need about how to
make the connections. Get schedules so that you can send them to the people who
will need them. Find
ways to combine airport runs with other trips, or at least to avoid extra trips.
People can wait a few hours if necessary, so that you can meet other arrivals on
the same run. Or someone who lives or works near the airport could pick up an
earlier arrival and take them somewhere more comfortable to wait for
transportation to the Journey. (See
Appendix: Registration forms). Organizers should know early of
participants travel plans. Polling of participants/arrangements for departures
should be done several days in advance of final departure date; not waiting
until the last minute eliminates a lot of confusion. Central organizers will
have participants arrival/departure information: they need to forward this
information to local planners at start/end points of the Journey so local
organizers can prepare for and assist in making these arrangements (e.g. by
providing extra drivers). This also applies for anyone arriving mid‑way
through the Journey: organizers in that area should be notified by central
planners as soon as this information is available. EXAMPLE: Anne-Marie Moyes (Tennessee ’99):
I think the most important thing to remember is that this is a huge
logistical undertaking. It’s
great to have lots of volunteer help to make it all happen, but it’s also
essential to have one or two people who are responsible for the big picture to
make sure that everything is coming together. Frankly,
we fell down on this in Indiana. It was our biggest failing (and has been one of
the greatest areas for improvement on all subsequent Journeys). We had some
great ideas: a statewide conference in the fall of 1993, which would kick off a
new era of abolition work in the state, and/or an abolition bill introduced in
the next legislative session which we could get people to organize around,
and/or a round of local meetings after the Journey to solidify our local
planning groups into ongoing abolition groups. But it didn't happen, for the
usual reasons. Don't
make the same mistake. As you plan the Journey, plan for it to lead right into
the next things that need to happen in your state in order to increase the fight
against state killing, and design the Journey so that it serves as a bridge from
where you are now to where you want to be. If you want more young people
involved, then focus on high schools, colleges and youth centers as locations
for Journey programs. If you want a statewide organization with local chapters,
have something for local Journey organizers to do next. If
you know what your next steps are, you can be publicizing them and promoting
them everywhere you go on the Journey. You can use the excitement and
inspiration of Journey events to move people to commit to the next step. You can
be identifying potential new leaders in your movement, and recruiting them for
ongoing tasks. If
you wait until after the Journey to think about what to do next, you will have
missed the chance to do all of these things, and you will be exhausted and
uninspired yourself. Actually, you deserve a good rest after the Journey, and
you'll need it. This
is important enough to be worth repeating: When planning post‑Journey
activities or an on‑going campaign, organizers should be aware of the
tremendous task that organizing a Journey will be. Be prepared for state
organizers and local planning group coordinators to be pretty burnt out by the
time the Journey ends. Each organizing committee should consciously address the
follow‑up issue and work to create solutions. Perhaps follow‑up
activities can be overseen by an organizer who is delegated little or no
responsibility for the Journey itself, who is then relatively fresh when the
time for follow‑up is at hand. Many other solutions are possible. There is
no proven model to work from, so give this area due attention. Please document
your successes and failures so they may be of use to future organizers (see
VI.C: Contributing to this Handbook). All
of us have different personalities and work styles. We also will have different
goals for the scope and reach and size of the Journey we set out to organize. For
two years, the Journey was the main thing on my mental horizon. For the last ten
months, it pretty much took over my life. And remember that there were others
also working very hard on the project. During the last ten months, the level of
time and energy taken by the Journey steadily increased, and in the last two
months the organizers basically just slept, ate, and worked on the Journey. Our
families were understanding and supportive, and we had already cleared our
calendars by not accepting any other responsibilities in the year preceding the
event. From two weeks prior to the event through the last day of the Journey
itself, the organizers averaged four hours of sleep per night. Attorneys and
others working on a capital case know the dynamic well. Know
that you're getting into a major project. If attention is not given to taking
care of oneself and others, such a major project can be unhealthy for the
organizers. You need people you like and can trust to work with you. You need to
take a break sometimes, just to maintain your balance. You need to know when to
let it just be "good enough" rather than perfect. You need to know how
to delegate work and when to say "no" to a great idea that is just too
much. And when it is all over, you need to have already scheduled for yourself a
well-deserved rest.
For those of us who traveled with the Journey as the key organizers, the
tour was incredibly grueling. Every
day was a long 15-hour day of problem solving and getting ready for the next
day. For me, I was very excited in
the months leading up to the Journey, but the actual tour itself just took so
much out of me. Looking back on the
Journey I know that is was such a great opportunity to bring the Journey to
Tennessee. It was well worth all
the hard work and headaches! During the last hectic weeks, and
during the Journey itself, I expected to be relieved to have it all be over. But
I was unprepared for the emotional crash, the
feeling of emptiness, the need to talk about it and for processing the
experience. I was sad that the phone stopped ringing (which was unexpected, but
true). Be
aware that a crash will follow and leave room and time for it. Be sure to
address self care in the meetings‑‑make it part of the planning
process.
The journeyfolk traveling with you have
left home to join people they may not know in a part of the country they don't
know, and are often subjected to difficult conditions during the Journey.
Journeyfolk tend to be a forgiving and good‑natured lot, but everyone has
their limit. Try not to find out what those limits are.
In such situations, people need to know two things: a) that they are
being taken care of; and b) that they are being taken seriously.
Taking care of people means thinking ahead of time about how the
logistics will work, and trying to avoid problems with good planning and
preparation. It means making sure everyone understands what will be happening,
and what their role in that will be. It means trying to be prepared for the
unexpected. It means not putting fifteen people in a fifteen‑passenger van
for a two‑hour trip home late at night in order to save gas money, if
another vehicle could have been used to allow folks a little more space. Taking people seriously means listening
to their concerns and complaints and trying to do something about them, or
giving an honest answer for why you can't do anything about them. It means
giving people lots of information about schedule and plans, and trying to avoid
unnecessary changes in plans. It means inviting people to help with the many
responsibilities and tasks involved in carrying out the Journey. It means
expressing your appreciation for people's cooperative spirit, commitment,
patience, and helpfulness. It means treating people as you would want to be
treated. That sounds obvious, but in the midst of a Journey you may be so
immersed in your own problems and responsibilities that you could forget how
hard everyone else is trying too. Be
sure to plan some "down time" into the Journey. People need a day or
part of a day when they can just stay at the park and relax, or take some time
for themselves, or whatever they need in order to be refreshed for the difficult
schedule of a Journey. Try to allow some down time each day, as well. EXAMPLE:
VA organizer: Anticipate the needs of the group:
provide comfortable living arrangements; have extras on hands for all
necessities (blankets, sleeping bags, flashlights, etc. as required in each
particular area); have plenty of food and snacks; provide drivers for events.
Also, have someone who can listen when people have issues/complaints. B.
Care of speakers
1. Avoid over-scheduling.
One way to do this is to be sure that you don't over‑schedule
people. But each person has their own comfort level in terms of how busy they
want to be. Make sure, when assigning speakers to events, to have a clear
understanding of each speaker's needs regarding limits on number of events/day,
back‑to‑back assignments, days off, support team requests, preferred
venues/audiences, large or small groups, media events, etc. Take the
responsibility to be sensitive to peoples preferences and needs seriously, but
realize and accept that you will not meet every need for every person in every
situation. Do your best, accept that it is the best that is possible and carry
on. Registration forms can be a great vehicle for obtaining information on each
speaker's needs/requests. Central organizers should get this information to
local planning groups. Also,
many events will specifically request a particular speaker (some may require
it); do your best to fill requests but realize that it is frequently not
possible to comply with all (or even most) nonessential requests.
(See Appendix: Master Schedule, Personal Speakers’ Schedules).
During the Journey, daily meetings with the key organizers are important.
It’s critical to go over the plan and schedule for the next day.
There are a lot of last minute scheduling decisions to make. It often makes the most sense to decide the night before
where to send which speakers because by this time you know which speakers are
getting burned out and which ones can handle a heavier load the next day. One
thing that has worked extremely well is constructing each speaking event on a
team approach. Many Murder Victims’ Family members speakers report that the
emotional drain of telling their stories (especially if it is several times in a
day or back‑to‑back) makes it difficult for them to provide facts
and figures or to respond lucidly to factual questions about the death penalty.
In Tennessee, as in previous states, we sent teams to each event comprised of an
Murder Victims’ Family Members speaker (or more than one) accompanied by
someone who would act as general support but who would also be a
co‑presenter, to put the experience of the Murder Victims’ Family
Members speaker into the context of death penalty practice and to respond to
questions about the death penalty. In Tennessee, we also tried to include a
Death Row family member as well. As
many long‑time abolitionists will likely be present on the Journey, it
should not be difficult to find capable people to fill this role and it provides
these folks with an opportunity to use their strengths and experience to support
Murder Victims’ Family Members speakers in additional ways. (See Speaking
Engagements in the Appendix).
The
following list should cover the roles needed for a Journey to function well: 2.
speaker and event coordination (see V.B.2 The Team approach).
Every event should have an event information sheet with contact name,
phone, etc. Event sheets should be included in driver packets (see 3. below) 3.
daily route and driver coordination. Every
event should have a driver packet with maps and event information sheet(s). 4.
on‑site media coordination, spokesperson/spokesperson coordinator 5. daily information briefings and meeting facilitation 6.
greeting and orienting new arrivals. Arrival
packets should be prepared by state organizers with: full schedule for the
entire Journey, fliers, death penalty facts sheets (national & state),
information on any issue‑specific issues, brochure(s), an evaluation form,
Journey contact information, etc. (See Appendix: Contact Numbers). 9.
care and safe‑keeping of communication equipment CB's for vehicle
communication, walkie‑talkies, cell phone(s), pagers 11.
march and rally coordination and security.
Each march will require a march/route leader, a meeting facilitator for
route explanation and march protocol, care and disbursement/collection of
equipment (walkie‑talkies, vests, bullhorn, banners & signs), a
marshal coordinator to identify, instruct and oversee marshals (who monitor
security and spacing of the group) and a chant coordinator/chant leaders. 13.
leafleting and doorknocking 14.
merchandise, literature tables, petitions (group sales & event boxes).
At large events such as concerts or rallies, a large merchandise
set‑up will required, staffed by the merchandise coordinator and several
helpers. For small events, individual boxes should be prepared in advance
containing a variety of literature, petitions, a sampling of shirts, books and
other merchandise. When the speaker and support team depart for the event, they
grab a prepared box and have all the resources they need. 15.
handling money and keeping finances straight 16.
health care and wellness for the group A first aid kit is an essential item.
Anyone with a health care background should be asked to take responsibility for
this area. 18.
overnight lodging/host liaison 19.
music and/or group morale 20.
complaint department 21.
laundry coordinator(s) for laundry days 22.
airport, bus and train station pickups 23.
coordination of assignments and assignment board (For
more details on a few of these jobs, see Appendix: Partial List of
Responsibilities). EXAMPLE: VA organizer:
It is very important to
elicit the efforts of Journey participants in these tasks. Local organizers can
handle some of the above responsibilities [overall coordinators and assignments
coordinators can determine what delegating/division of responsibility makes
sense] but much of the day‑to‑day "grunge" work should be
delegated within the Journey community. Most people will help when
asked‑‑but they need to be asked. Daily assignments are crucial.
Preestablished assignments or making assignments the night before for the
following day would make it easier. Some other areas to cover: meal helpers,
dish washers, a coordinator for camp clean‑up tasks, etc.
(See Appendix: Volunteer Sign Up Form). A.
People to thank By
the end of the Journey, there will be lots of people who have helped out in
important ways. Some should receive a full‑blown letter of thanks, like
people who hosted a fundraiser at their house. Some might get a personal note
attached to the follow‑up mailing you're sending out to participants.
Whatever seems appropriate, it is important to let people know that you
appreciate their help. In some cases, the thank‑you might include a gift,
like a Journey shirt or a special photo from the event. B.
Follow‑up with participants and
local organizers People
who took part in the Journey, whether as traveling participants, speakers, or
significant local organizers, should get a follow‑up letter along with
some or all of the following: a list of participants with addresses and phone
numbers; copies of a few clippings about the Journey; a photo or two from the
Journey which would be meaningful; an evaluation form to provide feedback. Local
organizers, however, should be contacted personally soon after the Journey to
talk about the next steps in their area. Visits to local areas to assist in
planning further activities might be especially helpful. If you have planned for
the next steps after the Journey as you planned the Journey, then there should
be a smooth transition into the next phase. C.
Contributing to this handbook The
idea of a Journey of Hope seems to have caught on. As you plan and carry out
your own Journey, please take a moment to share your best ideas and most
regrettable mistakes with future organizers by contributing additional material
to this handbook. The
Bottom Line for the Journey of Hope: make
it happen! The Journey of Hope is a massive undertaking with huge
logistical, personal and financial demands but with the promise of great
rewards. Like any large production, it may seem to threaten to overwhelm the
people who are organizing it. It may seem just too big a task, with too many
details to keep track of and too many variables to control. During the two weeks
of the Journey itself, it may seem just on the brink of cascading completely out
of control. Diligent organizing, careful planning and attention to detail will
minimize but never eliminate these characteristics of such an ambitious project.
But it will all happen, because it must. "The show must go on," and
you will be responsible for making it go. Draw on the experience, the talents
and the abilities of all around you, especially during the Journey and
especially from those with past Journey or Journey‑organizing experience.
Work patiently, work with respect and tolerance for those around you, be
quick to praise and slow to blame and the cooperative spirit that is essential
to a successful Journey will emerge. Feel free to draw on the experience of past
Journey organizers listed below. Use this book; it was created for your benefit
and includes the collective wisdom of four years of organizing. And
when it is all over, breathe a big sigh of relief, cry a little that it is over
and then share your experiences and your wisdom for the next generation of
Journey organizers, as we have shared with you. Good luck. And see you on the
next one. Past
journey organizers to contact for assistance, suggestions, answers to questions,
feedback, emotional support and other needs: Henry Heller
(VA) Joan Betz
(VA) Michael Penzato
(CA) Bob Gross
(IN) Abe Bonowitz (TX) Sara Sharpe
(TN) The Journey Of Hope: From Violence to Healing PO Box 21390 Anchorage, AK 99521-0390 bill@journeyofhope.org www.journeyofhope.org Missourians
Against State Killing (MASK) tjblock@gateway.net Steve Dear
(North Carolina ’01) SJDear1@aol.com For
more information about: Moratorium 2000 campaign: www.Moratorium2000.org
PO Box 13727
New Orleans, LA 70185
(504) 864-1071 VII.
APPENDIX: Tennessee Journey ‘99 2.
Petitions/Moratorium 2000
Campaign 3.
“Stop State Executions”
Vigil 4.
Cover of Tennessee Lifelines newsletter 5.
Partial List of Responsibilities 6.
“Main Events Statewide” 7.
“Dear Colleague in Ministry”
letter 8.
Letter to Kiwanis Club of
Nashville 9.
Fundraising letters “Dear
Fellow Abolitionist”, “Dear Friend” 10.
Texas Registration form 11.
Tennessee Registration from 12.
Contact Numbers 13.
Master Schedule 14.
Personal Speakers’ Schedules 15.
Speaking Engagements 16.
Newspaper article on Concert 17.
Volunteer Sign Up Form |
|
|