Press Releases

Author of Dead Man Walking to Speak at Naropa University

BOULDER, Colo. (April 7, 2009)—On Monday, April 20, Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States, will deliver the second annual John and Bayard Cobb Peace Lecture titled “Dead Man Walking—The Journey Continues.” Beginning at 7 p.m., her lecture will focus on the experiences and interactions with death row prisoners and the possibility of their innocence. This event is being held at the Nalanda Campus Events Center and is free and open to the public.

John Cobb, a founder of the lecture series provided comment. “Sister Helen has shown immense courage in tackling these issues, and inviting her to give the Second Annual Peace Lecture would be a wonderful contribution to the Peace Studies program and Naropa as a whole."

Sister Helen Prejean has been instrumental in sparking national dialogue on the death penalty and helping to shape the Catholic Church’s newly vigorous opposition to state executions. She is a regular interviewee and contributor to national and international publications, and has become a recurring presence on major TV news shows. Sister Helen lives in New Orleans.  

In addition to the lecture, Sister Helen will offer an opportunity to become involved with the Moratorium Campaign, an organization she founded committed to halting the death penalty. The campaign includes collecting signatures on 10-15 petitions which have proved very successful in the past. It is funded by the sale of Prejean’s books, which will be available for sale at this event. 

Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian liberal arts institution dedicated to advancing contemplative education.  This approach to learning integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, helping students know themselves more deeply and engage constructively with others. The university comprises a four-year undergraduate college and graduate programs in the arts, education, environmental leadership, psychology and religious studies.