This event is in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Kelly Gissendaner’s execution on September 30, 2015. Kelly was a graduate of the Certificate Program in Theological Studies at Lee Arrendale State Prison. While she was on death row, many Candler students interacted with her either as chaplain interns or as teachers in the certificate program. When her execution was scheduled, an extraordinary coalition—made up primarily of Candler alumni and current students—launched the nationwide campaign #KellyonMyMind to present a fuller portrait of who Kelly had become: someone taking responsibility for her actions as part of her new understanding of redemption and compassionate love. Though the campaign did not achieve its primary goal of getting Kelly’s sentence commuted, it brought the nation’s attention to the issue of the death penalty and its refusal of redemption.
The gathering seeks to honor this relationship and its legacy in Candler’s history.
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