jdakar:

On this day in 1945, Lena Baker became the first and only woman to be executed by electrocution in Georgia.

Baker was charged with capital murder for killing her employer, Ernest Knight, who told Baker that he would kill her before she would ever leave again. While entering the execution chamber at the Georgia State Prison, Baker said: “What I done, I did in self-defense. I have nothing against anyone. I am ready to meet my God.”

In 2005, 60 years after her execution, the Georgia Parole Board issued Baker a full and unconditional pardon.

(via californiaafrican)

pantslessprogressive:

“The upshot is that Perry is essentially an accessory to murder. He executed an innocent man, displaying zero interest in the man’s innocence. When a commission subsequently investigated the episode, Perry fired its members.

It is telling that the political culture that has nurtured Perry is so morally demented that demonstrating that he blithely executed an innocent man is not a political liability.” - Jonathan Chait

“It Takes Balls To Execute An Innocent Man”

MUST WATCH Frontline on this.

(via pantslessprogressive)

utnereader:

You’ve heard the old phrase “You are what you eat.” A new photography venture called The Last Meals Project amends the adage into “You were what you ate.” Photographer Jonathon Kambouris juxtaposes death row mug shots with a description of the inmate’s last meal, and then superimposes photos of the food on top. The effect is quieting and humbling, bringing the viewer closer to the humanity behind the menace. Read more …