Transcripts For CSPAN2 Helen Prejean River Of Fire 20240713

Manage how it has worked in educational system. Imagine how it has worked in banking system. Imagine how it has worked we have some very dope works coming out now to help us understand how central racism has been in the building of this country. One is the 1619 project that is the New York Times just publishing. And the other is a book staffed from the beginning by kennedy and you read the language with of the one who wrote the constitution. Looked a language black inferior even Abraham Lincoln calling in six people to the white house and saying hard for black and white people to get together look like they have a civil war to e preslave but heres our godly deal for you. Abraham loik well free you. But then what we want you to do, consider this is go back to the country where you came from because it is good for us trying to mix it together here. As abraham loik a bad terrible man ignorant like the rest of us and weve been waking up and im l one person who happens to be waking up and we all with do better thats what community does. I mean i wanted to go to this school ive wanted to go to a school where with from the beginning the children can learn that we are all americans together. Louisiana had textbook wouldnt refer poem toll slaves they were workers so weve got of learning to do and more privilege we are the the more learning thats about waking up spiritually when i see how lnl is used and mcial says this book he wrote called where do we go from here chaos community, and he said when you look at what upheld slavery, somebody going to quote the bible and thats upholding it and for christians, White Plantation owners would bo to church, and what would they hear . They would hear st. Paul, slaves be obedient to your owners so you say to plantation own percent be nice to your slaves. Right . Be kind but the pack that they are property and not the question that and thats from a quote from st. Paul slaves to obedient to your masters and done it with gay and lesbians too homo people are abomination of god who where did that come from . And we grow in experience, and so Jeff Sessions recently quoted romans 13 to justify the separation of children from parents on the border claiming that it is something is legal and that its the law and comes from the authority of god. You know who el quoted roman 13 to justify Death Penalty Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court hes kind of like my nemesis. Because a lot of people died at his hand doby died at his hands had i watch people be executed because of the way he interpreted the constitution. Like something legal it comes from god its the authority of god, and the attorney general of the United States saying that. And he got away with it. He just goes from his little proof text from the scriptures so when slavery was legal thats thats the god . Teaching us slaves to read which was against law thats the will of god . Were seeing people and treating them at property thats the will of god . Since when do democracy do you quote role of god and isnt that and why is Jeff Sessions quoting the authority of god to justify what hes doing at the border . Were democracy. But weve got to think through these things. So as you can see ive been doing it a lot of thinking. [laughter] and whats good about being on the road and being with me, we think together and Grow Together in this so its good. Really good. So i want to pull us back a little bit to personal. Pull it back to personal. [laughter] okay go. Okay lets one of the things that is moving and interesting in this book is that discussion about friendship. And because i think the big threat in this is also about the people in your life who are your teachers. Right . And it is not just the sort of people at st. Thomas who, you know, are your spiritual and moral teachers around these issues of injustice but it is also your friend chris and your friend and love william who are threaded through this book and surprise a lot of people to know how e deeply felt both of these friendships are in your life and i was wondering if i think a lot of people dont have the opportunity to think as deeply about all of the different kinds of love that we have in our lives whether thats romantic love or fill your love or any of those thing and love for nature or love for animal or any of that stuff but because youre in a unique situation of moving from post vatican you have an opportunity to see i went from being, you know, your relationship request god was supposed to be really your own relationship for a while. And then you have the opportunity to kind of open up pane bring more love into your life. So can you talk about what that taught you about love . I dont think we can make it through life without emotional intimacy and closeness. I read this book called art of loving by eric. It is a great book. And one of the first things he say in it we think that the art a loving is well find that one person that im going to love and theyre going love me. We can love each other forever. And the art of loving is to open our hearts be able to love all kinds of people. One time i was giving talk to young women and they said do you want young men to love you . Love old people. Love will learn love emotional intimacy, i mean, you read about or more and more people staying single and not entering into marriage and when marriages break apart often what you hear is failure to achieve emotional intimacy. I know a couple i love dearly that it happened where the woman after many years just said im leaving you. Theres no emotional intimacy. And this good, good man who is married he said he didnt know what she meant. So friendship in, i think the development of friendship all of us need to learn how to develop friendship to the closest person in our life, our spouse one were married to and with our children and with each other. Friendship is where we can get past those barriers where we present a public self, though, we present that self that cant be hurt. Where we can be vulnerable and where we can be ourselves with one another. And we can grow. And i found out very special friend ann and ill tell you the story so here we are as nuns used in language a lot say were going out to love by all men and here nuns going otoembrace all men, and , of course, we were banner waving at vatican from the glory of god are human beings fully alive so youre alive intellectually and alive in love. Youre alive in friendship. Youre alive in your work. Youre fully alive to be alive it is interesting jesus never used words saver but he talked about being alive. I have come such a being of life we come to each other to enhance our life and to help each other to life and friendship nothing does that more. Than friendship. Then, of course, which means so that when your sphrend dying of cancer you are going to go through great grief and great loss because you have loved. If you dont love deeply you cant lose deeply in the gracious and whats boing to keep all of yall turning pams of this book is my deep friendship and love for william. This priest we fell in love and run away to school in canada. Took 7 years to work that out. [laughter] his name is not really william. And im going to just give you a teaser into that. Because this is going to making you read this book thats sane for going into that. But before i became a nun at 18 i e went to inaugural school i didnt have experience with men and all and to fall in love with william we were doing something really tricky. A lot of priest and nun who were waking up to each other when we met each other when thing got loosened up we went to notre dame to study and we were together and pole falling in love and some left nuns left priest left sometime it is work out beautifully a lot of times it was a disaster. But thats life. Right . So with william we were trying to do this thing called the third way. And what that means is our in christ im going stay being a nun and keeping my vows hes going to stay being a priest. But were going to love each other. And that sounds tricky and complicated and confusing, thats because thats exactly what it is [laughter] and ill let you read it to see how we started out but it was a great gift to love him and to have his love for me. Because i just realized the gift that men are. Their humor, theres from women in a lot of ways. Just the way like the way we woulding tackle writing his i were pas at notre dame the way i would tackle more of a pro guy i was more of a now thats not that six category of men and women everybody breaks the mold. But he was a gift in my life and i tell you about my big friendship with him which ill still benefit from. He died in 2013. So ive beenmenting to give his real name because i feel i needed to protect him because he couldnt be getting up from cspan to say wait let me tell you what happened to me web and its intimacy and truly what we need is intimacy with god in our religion is that deephad felt experience where which is why we wanting to go deeper than rogue prayers but to meditation we want to go to contemplate in our prayer. That we can feel it from the inside out. John where a meditation in harpers and he talked about he had heard this huxley at up in where was it up in california somewhere huxley said religion can be generally divided those who do dogma and doctrines, and those that have the institutions and to keep the tradition going. And then the mystics those that have these experiences of god where with all they know is they have no words for it but everything is connected. Im okay. And theres love that holds us together, and johns meditation compares it to his cat winsly of course he would have a cat named winsly so british. Winsly. So he said theres a big difference between winsly and the intelligence. But every now and then winsly pulls against my leg and i give winsly at pat and every now and then from god when were pray we need that the devine pat. That feeling of closeness, like and we have so discounted and had to rationalize so much in our western tradition that we have discounted that there are different ways of knowing, deep ways of knowing had is the mystic way of knowing meditation is a way of knowing and ways of knowing that are for far more than producing and proving something rational. I want to ask you two quick questions theyre not easy questions but relatively quick question about the church. And then we want to open it up to yalls questions. So many, many, many catholicses are struggling with what to do sexual abuse within the church and youve been advocate and thought deeply about how we reckon with horrible things. And how we also see the humanity in all people what do how do you hope the church might proceed in healing those harmed and the seemingly selfprotective Church Institution . Enches seemingly protective we know that bishops covered for pedophile priest to protect the image of the church and sent into perishes where they could continue that is a sin. And im glad that prosecutors are coming in because its a crime. And thats a tricky thing about religion we have to preserve our image above all, and then this letter that i wrote to pope francis not to meet pope francis to a innocent man in oklahoma about to be ex cuted i asked pope help he came, and he interviewed for richard, and so i got to meet pope francis and when i did i handed him a personal letter. Not just about the Death Penalty because took 1600 blooming year to change the catechism on the death mental so were not precipitous in actions in the Catholic Church it takeses while you have to bubble up. But one of the things that needs that bubble up is we dont have a Healthy Church with all males needing and setting policy and making decisions. We need women [applause] we need women and need men but when you have an all male church making these policies and decisions, they need help. I mean, we need to have women in there and so im say that pope francis now pope francis cant turn a whole cruise boat around and in a Catholic Church but doing great stuff and hes setting directions that were going need to follow getting back to gospel of jesus and not every human being has dignity and think of it. Women are baptized into the faith just like men. We are all made in the image of christ, but yes when it comes to making the decisions, it can only be men at the highest level now what is that . That is the name of it is sexism. You know, it is disdiscrimination simply on the basis of sex that women cannot make these decisions of being leaders of prayer and priesthood. So you get the bubble is coming up. You speak your truth and you get it out. So appendix in this book is that letter to pope francis really to the whole church and for first time they define the Catholic Church not as hierarchy but as the the whole people of god. It is everybody called a holiness everybody called to called to live out the gospel of jesus which protestant knowing for a long to get caught in the Catholic Church more but vatican and ill tell you what qowk not get that two toothpaste back in that tube once you Say Something thats true and a can upheld the conscientious in human being to follow what we know deep in our heart to be true. And that is what is change the church is what changes our society. We must not be hopeless in this time that we are living in now and if you look at change that is happened not just enough. I know god suffer still is going on. Killed two people youre still torturing killing people and so is although in louisiana, just want to say one little l thing about marl of those involved in execution we havent have execution in louisiana in 17 years. [applause] now why we could be like texas and gets drugs and keeps execution going and were not doing that in louisiana and you know my hunch is i dont think they want to do it anymore. To be president when people are being strapped down and killed you participate until it i really think thats in its moral hurt. You walk away from that and you just killed a human being youve rendered defenseless and i think theres Ron Mcandrews in florida he he had the prison there. He said i wanted to run an honorable prison honorable professional but there and in a killing chamber i had to kill two human being as part of a trigger he would say it was publicly im going to be going to therapy the rest of my life. Because i helped kill a defenseless human being. So were waking up the victims families of being more outspoken in new jersey 12 yearses ago did away with the Death Penalty in their legislature 62 murder victims, family, came into kill for us the Death Penalty revictimizes us. It puts us in Holding Pattern our grief is public. Every time theres a change in the status of the case, the media is is the at our door. How can we grieve . How can we move on in our life . Waiting for this socalled justice that well get called to the front row to watch as you kill one who killed our loved ones. Theyre speaking up. Were changing we can grow and we are doing it with a Death Penalty and were going to do it with our democracy too. We are going to work and fight for Voting Rights for everybody were going to fight and were going to vote were going to form Community Organizations that education, that everybody can have education. That people whatever their orientation sex created createdh dignity. We are going to do it and were going to move so that our people seeking asylum in this country will be treated with humanity and respect. Ing nothing changes overnight. And nothing changes by somebody at the top saying i think ill do that but it is always going to be us. The people. On the ground bubbling up working to change not just talking it be but working and organize ring to make it happen. I think thats a great place to open it up for some question. Come up raise the mic for them. There it is. Thank you. [applause] this is a fun part. Well, first of all its the fun part for me because youre one of my three csj and the second one ive gotten to meet in two months. Do i know what that is congregation of st. Josephs. I moved down to atlanta 15 year ago from new york, and in making that trip i found out one of my classmates from Grammar School was executed in the of virginia. He had been sexually abused in Grammar School along with other boys. I then came and moved to atlanta, georgia. And i was faced with the face of troy davis on the tv screen every night that broke my hear the. I cant say that i just woke up rather god finally caught me. So my question to you is, im 59 years old and im for csj in kansas what advice do you have to give to me in all of this and how you picked up your calling in ministry . I was a slow learner i was in my party before i woke up to social jt as an entree gospel we are one with each other, and going to see whether the great social needs of our time and getting in there and put our hand and starting to pull on that rope. And thats what youre going to do it is no different from all of the people here. And youll have a sisterhood under you. Amen. Thats formed in different ways not just, you know, nun, obviously, but im glad welcome to the sisterhood. Thank you. Anybody else . Come on walk and line pup so we dont lose time. A comment, a question. Good anybody else you can come wait close to the mic. Im way talling than this mic. Yeah. Ill do this. Youre good. Thank you for coming, sister. I have a fun question for you. You were talking about humor earlier, and in the i read your book. But in the film. That man walking one much my favorite scenes and ive wongdered if it was like improvisation at moment or based because it is not in the book is that scene where your character and then the lawyer are driving through some rural area and see that sign that says many rabbits and cant figure out whether it is a cry for help or for sale sign, and anyway, i love that scene i was that actually cajun country here you have a sign with a paint brush half mini rabbit so you go is that a cry for help . They the start request with two to get out of control . [laughter] thats a real sign and do not despair you will be soon theirs. On the way to the prison too. I love that scene. But my question the larger question i wanted to ask you is a play and a Broadway Musical no New York Times<\/a> just publishing. And the other is a book staffed from the beginning by kennedy and you read the language with of the one who wrote the constitution. Looked a language black inferior even Abraham Lincoln<\/a> calling in six people to the white house and saying hard for black and white people to get together look like they have a civil war to e preslave but heres our godly deal for you. Abraham loik well free you. But then what we want you to do, consider this is go back to the country where you came from because it is good for us trying to mix it together here. As abraham loik a bad terrible man ignorant like the rest of us and weve been waking up and im l one person who happens to be waking up and we all with do better thats what community does. I mean i wanted to go to this school ive wanted to go to a school where with from the beginning the children can learn that we are all americans together. Louisiana had textbook wouldnt refer poem toll slaves they were workers so weve got of learning to do and more privilege we are the the more learning thats about waking up spiritually when i see how lnl is used and mcial says this book he wrote called where do we go from here chaos community, and he said when you look at what upheld slavery, somebody going to quote the bible and thats upholding it and for christians, White Plantation<\/a> owners would bo to church, and what would they hear . They would hear st. Paul, slaves be obedient to your owners so you say to plantation own percent be nice to your slaves. Right . Be kind but the pack that they are property and not the question that and thats from a quote from st. Paul slaves to obedient to your masters and done it with gay and lesbians too homo people are abomination of god who where did that come from . And we grow in experience, and so Jeff Sessions<\/a> recently quoted romans 13 to justify the separation of children from parents on the border claiming that it is something is legal and that its the law and comes from the authority of god. You know who el quoted roman 13 to justify Death Penalty<\/a> Antonin Scalia<\/a> on the Supreme Court<\/a> hes kind of like my nemesis. Because a lot of people died at his hand doby died at his hands had i watch people be executed because of the way he interpreted the constitution. Like something legal it comes from god its the authority of god, and the attorney general of the United States<\/a> saying that. And he got away with it. He just goes from his little proof text from the scriptures so when slavery was legal thats thats the god . Teaching us slaves to read which was against law thats the will of god . Were seeing people and treating them at property thats the will of god . Since when do democracy do you quote role of god and isnt that and why is Jeff Sessions<\/a> quoting the authority of god to justify what hes doing at the border . Were democracy. But weve got to think through these things. So as you can see ive been doing it a lot of thinking. [laughter] and whats good about being on the road and being with me, we think together and Grow Together<\/a> in this so its good. Really good. So i want to pull us back a little bit to personal. Pull it back to personal. [laughter] okay go. Okay lets one of the things that is moving and interesting in this book is that discussion about friendship. And because i think the big threat in this is also about the people in your life who are your teachers. Right . And it is not just the sort of people at st. Thomas who, you know, are your spiritual and moral teachers around these issues of injustice but it is also your friend chris and your friend and love william who are threaded through this book and surprise a lot of people to know how e deeply felt both of these friendships are in your life and i was wondering if i think a lot of people dont have the opportunity to think as deeply about all of the different kinds of love that we have in our lives whether thats romantic love or fill your love or any of those thing and love for nature or love for animal or any of that stuff but because youre in a unique situation of moving from post vatican you have an opportunity to see i went from being, you know, your relationship request god was supposed to be really your own relationship for a while. And then you have the opportunity to kind of open up pane bring more love into your life. So can you talk about what that taught you about love . I dont think we can make it through life without emotional intimacy and closeness. I read this book called art of loving by eric. It is a great book. And one of the first things he say in it we think that the art a loving is well find that one person that im going to love and theyre going love me. We can love each other forever. And the art of loving is to open our hearts be able to love all kinds of people. One time i was giving talk to young women and they said do you want young men to love you . Love old people. Love will learn love emotional intimacy, i mean, you read about or more and more people staying single and not entering into marriage and when marriages break apart often what you hear is failure to achieve emotional intimacy. I know a couple i love dearly that it happened where the woman after many years just said im leaving you. Theres no emotional intimacy. And this good, good man who is married he said he didnt know what she meant. So friendship in, i think the development of friendship all of us need to learn how to develop friendship to the closest person in our life, our spouse one were married to and with our children and with each other. Friendship is where we can get past those barriers where we present a public self, though, we present that self that cant be hurt. Where we can be vulnerable and where we can be ourselves with one another. And we can grow. And i found out very special friend ann and ill tell you the story so here we are as nuns used in language a lot say were going out to love by all men and here nuns going otoembrace all men, and , of course, we were banner waving at vatican from the glory of god are human beings fully alive so youre alive intellectually and alive in love. Youre alive in friendship. Youre alive in your work. Youre fully alive to be alive it is interesting jesus never used words saver but he talked about being alive. I have come such a being of life we come to each other to enhance our life and to help each other to life and friendship nothing does that more. Than friendship. Then, of course, which means so that when your sphrend dying of cancer you are going to go through great grief and great loss because you have loved. If you dont love deeply you cant lose deeply in the gracious and whats boing to keep all of yall turning pams of this book is my deep friendship and love for william. This priest we fell in love and run away to school in canada. Took 7 years to work that out. [laughter] his name is not really william. And im going to just give you a teaser into that. Because this is going to making you read this book thats sane for going into that. But before i became a nun at 18 i e went to inaugural school i didnt have experience with men and all and to fall in love with william we were doing something really tricky. A lot of priest and nun who were waking up to each other when we met each other when thing got loosened up we went to notre dame to study and we were together and pole falling in love and some left nuns left priest left sometime it is work out beautifully a lot of times it was a disaster. But thats life. Right . So with william we were trying to do this thing called the third way. And what that means is our in christ im going stay being a nun and keeping my vows hes going to stay being a priest. But were going to love each other. And that sounds tricky and complicated and confusing, thats because thats exactly what it is [laughter] and ill let you read it to see how we started out but it was a great gift to love him and to have his love for me. Because i just realized the gift that men are. Their humor, theres from women in a lot of ways. Just the way like the way we woulding tackle writing his i were pas at notre dame the way i would tackle more of a pro guy i was more of a now thats not that six category of men and women everybody breaks the mold. But he was a gift in my life and i tell you about my big friendship with him which ill still benefit from. He died in 2013. So ive beenmenting to give his real name because i feel i needed to protect him because he couldnt be getting up from cspan to say wait let me tell you what happened to me web and its intimacy and truly what we need is intimacy with god in our religion is that deephad felt experience where which is why we wanting to go deeper than rogue prayers but to meditation we want to go to contemplate in our prayer. That we can feel it from the inside out. John where a meditation in harpers and he talked about he had heard this huxley at up in where was it up in california somewhere huxley said religion can be generally divided those who do dogma and doctrines, and those that have the institutions and to keep the tradition going. And then the mystics those that have these experiences of god where with all they know is they have no words for it but everything is connected. Im okay. And theres love that holds us together, and johns meditation compares it to his cat winsly of course he would have a cat named winsly so british. Winsly. So he said theres a big difference between winsly and the intelligence. But every now and then winsly pulls against my leg and i give winsly at pat and every now and then from god when were pray we need that the devine pat. That feeling of closeness, like and we have so discounted and had to rationalize so much in our western tradition that we have discounted that there are different ways of knowing, deep ways of knowing had is the mystic way of knowing meditation is a way of knowing and ways of knowing that are for far more than producing and proving something rational. I want to ask you two quick questions theyre not easy questions but relatively quick question about the church. And then we want to open it up to yalls questions. So many, many, many catholicses are struggling with what to do sexual abuse within the church and youve been advocate and thought deeply about how we reckon with horrible things. And how we also see the humanity in all people what do how do you hope the church might proceed in healing those harmed and the seemingly selfprotective Church Institution<\/a> . Enches seemingly protective we know that bishops covered for pedophile priest to protect the image of the church and sent into perishes where they could continue that is a sin. And im glad that prosecutors are coming in because its a crime. And thats a tricky thing about religion we have to preserve our image above all, and then this letter that i wrote to pope francis not to meet pope francis to a innocent man in oklahoma about to be ex cuted i asked pope help he came, and he interviewed for richard, and so i got to meet pope francis and when i did i handed him a personal letter. Not just about the Death Penalty<\/a> because took 1600 blooming year to change the catechism on the death mental so were not precipitous in actions in the Catholic Church<\/a> it takeses while you have to bubble up. But one of the things that needs that bubble up is we dont have a Healthy Church<\/a> with all males needing and setting policy and making decisions. We need women [applause] we need women and need men but when you have an all male church making these policies and decisions, they need help. I mean, we need to have women in there and so im say that pope francis now pope francis cant turn a whole cruise boat around and in a Catholic Church<\/a> but doing great stuff and hes setting directions that were going need to follow getting back to gospel of jesus and not every human being has dignity and think of it. Women are baptized into the faith just like men. We are all made in the image of christ, but yes when it comes to making the decisions, it can only be men at the highest level now what is that . That is the name of it is sexism. You know, it is disdiscrimination simply on the basis of sex that women cannot make these decisions of being leaders of prayer and priesthood. So you get the bubble is coming up. You speak your truth and you get it out. So appendix in this book is that letter to pope francis really to the whole church and for first time they define the Catholic Church<\/a> not as hierarchy but as the the whole people of god. It is everybody called a holiness everybody called to called to live out the gospel of jesus which protestant knowing for a long to get caught in the Catholic Church<\/a> more but vatican and ill tell you what qowk not get that two toothpaste back in that tube once you Say Something<\/a> thats true and a can upheld the conscientious in human being to follow what we know deep in our heart to be true. And that is what is change the church is what changes our society. We must not be hopeless in this time that we are living in now and if you look at change that is happened not just enough. I know god suffer still is going on. Killed two people youre still torturing killing people and so is although in louisiana, just want to say one little l thing about marl of those involved in execution we havent have execution in louisiana in 17 years. [applause] now why we could be like texas and gets drugs and keeps execution going and were not doing that in louisiana and you know my hunch is i dont think they want to do it anymore. To be president when people are being strapped down and killed you participate until it i really think thats in its moral hurt. You walk away from that and you just killed a human being youve rendered defenseless and i think theres Ron Mcandrews<\/a> in florida he he had the prison there. He said i wanted to run an honorable prison honorable professional but there and in a killing chamber i had to kill two human being as part of a trigger he would say it was publicly im going to be going to therapy the rest of my life. Because i helped kill a defenseless human being. So were waking up the victims families of being more outspoken in new jersey 12 yearses ago did away with the Death Penalty<\/a> in their legislature 62 murder victims, family, came into kill for us the Death Penalty<\/a> revictimizes us. It puts us in Holding Pattern<\/a> our grief is public. Every time theres a change in the status of the case, the media is is the at our door. How can we grieve . How can we move on in our life . Waiting for this socalled justice that well get called to the front row to watch as you kill one who killed our loved ones. Theyre speaking up. Were changing we can grow and we are doing it with a Death Penalty<\/a> and were going to do it with our democracy too. We are going to work and fight for Voting Rights<\/a> for everybody were going to fight and were going to vote were going to form Community Organizations<\/a> that education, that everybody can have education. That people whatever their orientation sex created createdh dignity. We are going to do it and were going to move so that our people seeking asylum in this country will be treated with humanity and respect. Ing nothing changes overnight. And nothing changes by somebody at the top saying i think ill do that but it is always going to be us. The people. On the ground bubbling up working to change not just talking it be but working and organize ring to make it happen. I think thats a great place to open it up for some question. Come up raise the mic for them. There it is. Thank you. [applause] this is a fun part. Well, first of all its the fun part for me because youre one of my three csj and the second one ive gotten to meet in two months. Do i know what that is congregation of st. Josephs. I moved down to atlanta 15 year ago from new york, and in making that trip i found out one of my classmates from Grammar School<\/a> was executed in the of virginia. He had been sexually abused in Grammar School<\/a> along with other boys. I then came and moved to atlanta, georgia. And i was faced with the face of troy davis on the tv screen every night that broke my hear the. I cant say that i just woke up rather god finally caught me. So my question to you is, im 59 years old and im for csj in kansas what advice do you have to give to me in all of this and how you picked up your calling in ministry . I was a slow learner i was in my party before i woke up to social jt as an entree gospel we are one with each other, and going to see whether the great social needs of our time and getting in there and put our hand and starting to pull on that rope. And thats what youre going to do it is no different from all of the people here. And youll have a sisterhood under you. Amen. Thats formed in different ways not just, you know, nun, obviously, but im glad welcome to the sisterhood. Thank you. Anybody else . Come on walk and line pup so we dont lose time. A comment, a question. Good anybody else you can come wait close to the mic. Im way talling than this mic. Yeah. Ill do this. Youre good. Thank you for coming, sister. I have a fun question for you. You were talking about humor earlier, and in the i read your book. But in the film. That man walking one much my favorite scenes and ive wongdered if it was like improvisation at moment or based because it is not in the book is that scene where your character and then the lawyer are driving through some rural area and see that sign that says many rabbits and cant figure out whether it is a cry for help or for sale sign, and anyway, i love that scene i was that actually cajun country here you have a sign with a paint brush half mini rabbit so you go is that a cry for help . They the start request with two to get out of control . [laughter] thats a real sign and do not despair you will be soon theirs. On the way to the prison too. I love that scene. But my question the larger question i wanted to ask you is a play and a Broadway Musical<\/a> no Broadway Musical<\/a>. Opera, wonderful opera. Excuse me. We only listen to ballet but a wonderful opera great, great opera very powerful. Probably will be a musical some day. But anyway im just curious what your are thinking about the film and, obviously, it is different right and sort of fiction and different character, and even though it has the humor like you it also has lots of a very difficult pim to watch right, it is really hard you really feel like i felt like my heart was racing towards end as count down happened. And im just wondering if you like your reaction to all of this to sort of the culture embracing you know like it is in a way sort of pop culture embracing these deep ideas, and are you happy about how thats unfolding or importance of art to open and draw back the curtain on whats going on importance of film, importance of music, importance of opera to help bring people close it a reality of a secret ritual they are never going to get to see but at least two court cases to make executions public and theyve been so you write books and you have art to bring people close. Right now were working on the graphic novel called a novel but it is a graphic depiction of dead man walking to get to young people. Because theyre reading a more graphic novel and just reading straight print because you want to get it into art and everywhere you can. Like when the opera ends you see the murder in the beginning it is and everybody witnesses the murder. Dont know who did it and so everybodys heart is if anybody deserves the Death Penalty<\/a> in hes not remorseful. You know he doesnt take responsibility, like bring it on. And its a opera thats only opera that has a minute and a half of violence. It ends with execution. And the you can hear the silence within the audience because now they watch what they wanted in their heart when asking for and theyve brought close to it. And then the sister helen character my journey, and it indeed more ways learn and always on the journey. And theres the excuted person and she is then sings to the audience. God will gather us around, all around and god is the love gatherer that love gathers us not separating us. And it ends that way and or tan closes, and people just rivetted in their sheet. The film of dead man walking brought people over in a way that theater manager those who stayed until the screen went blank because he brought them over to both sides of the suffering. And one of the things that tim appreciated the most was that victims families, wrote to him and said thank you for depicting our suffering that we are not these crazy people that say we want to see him dead and feel that revenge but struggling to try to heal after Something Like<\/a> that. So the arts are very, very important for us to open up and get things so that the public can meditate and reflect on some of the deepest things going on in our society. Anybody else e . To hear you speak so thank you for coming to atlanta. I was so happy to read your letter that you wrote to pope francis ive written that letter to every pope, and there you go since jean paul the first. So now ive never heard back so i was wondering [laughter] iwondering if you did hear back and did he have any kind of i understand why pope francis doesnt write me back you have to understand that the church is the people; right . So its in every local community of where we are kat lucks when we come together the question is brought up. Women are are saying and a it starts with the girl saying we want to be thats really mixed. We want to be all , right now the rule in the Catholic Church<\/a> is only males can read the gospel. A woman cant read gospel now ill say to pope i preach before the United Nations<\/a> and churches all over this country but i cannot give the sermon in the Catholic Church<\/a> because im a woman. And so people begin to see through it. Young people coming up questioning it is going to change and it is against gospel of jesus so we just move it and then for our voices to be heard as women we stand up in the Public Square<\/a> and we are asking agents to change because we see and once we see in our hearts we have to act. But, i mean, its kind of sad that church, the Catholic Church<\/a> does need to wake up because young women are voting with their feet theyre unable to be part of the church that discriminates against me because im a woman. So its the gospel of jesus is always going to be truer and stronger institutions are going to do their best and theyre going to make a lot of mistakes thats true in all of our churches thats true in our democracy had. But we go for ideal and we strive for it because once it awakens in our hearts it exist and then we have the imperative to live out of that and to help it to come. Yes. My name is masika and may sound weird im a new catholic and i promise to make this fast. But you mentioned earlier about being in the Community Like<\/a> this and i swore i was bing to reserve this question for book signing but i wanted to make sure i get this and maybe something came to me that said everyone should hear it. But the reason i wanted to come because i attend our lady of lords Catholic Church<\/a> and theres a gentlemen there and im recording this because i had called a Church Office<\/a> and said that i would send this if i was privilege muff to say thing on his behalf his name is mr. Fred kanen, and fred kanen. Yes, and every sunday when, its saturday saturday mass when it is time for intentions, on the new catholic so ten years still trying to figure it out. But his statement is to to pray for those that are cars incarcerated and on death row and every that is every single time he does that and sometimes his voice shakes. And when you mention yeah, people see this, oh this person passed away, and you know, executed and they move on. But something about that when you hear it every single time youre in mass. Yes. Every time and he he does it and you can feel it. That changed had my opinion when mr. Davis was executed here i got moved and in march and did your part but his message it is all always there and i wanted to say i dont know him personally. But behalf of what he has done, your message is really shared. And it is out there and i know you know this so i say this respectfully. But on behalf of mr. Kanen, i want to what youre doing it is great because now youre sharing it to, and we have hope to put flesh on something and e to make it live. This is people that go and visit people on death row and bring their families there. And give them a place to stay so one the direct could be from our later loud church and fred kanen for ten years and new hope house where there be a direct connection with getting involved with these families and actually going and being a part of this. Absolutely and theres a big ministry. Let it go. But i wanted to say that because when i saw you were here if i wanted to make sure i reached my message. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks. [applause] into criminal Justice System<\/a> and he was a correction officer so he knows a lot. Yeah. Fred kanen everybody he work withed in the criminal he was a guard. So he prays for them. Okay. Hi thank you. This morning i was talking to my older daughter in our carport, and i thought i said words during this conversation that have me thinking of a good bit now. Were not really god people im kind of a buddha person went into shes really struggling we get to the state of the country right now and i say the words you know, if trump were to die that might be a good thing. And shes like mom, no. You dont mean that. And i said look at all of the suffering hes causing so many people. And she, you know, she couldnt believe it and i said because ive never thought these words that never said these words. And so i said you know im going to think about it some more and ill, you know, and my dear friend and sister barbara texted me and said do you want to come to this talk tonight about the Death Penalty<\/a> and i said yes i follow her on twitter i love her. And just sitting here, i start thinking of the contrast of those two things and my mind today. I think a lot of us are feeling very heavy with what is happening at the border and supremacy racism all of these things. So im just wondering what kinds of wisdom do you have for us say it is a very human thing when someone is doing a lot of harm that the thought cross our minds, mine too. Wouldnt be the worst thing in the world [laughter] but its a thought. And you know that thats not the answer. The answer is going to come in november elections and with what hes doing with the economy right now [applause] its all about organizing and making sure we get good people elected into the the senate and then to the house. It is up to us democracy is up to us. To do and thats just human. Thats a thought crosses your mind. Imagine when hitler was doing all of the bad things how many jews it would cross your mind well it wouldnt be the worst thing in a row if hitler you know but thats a human thought that comes. And its a violent thought and recognize it for what it is and puts us to work. Where our work lies and it didnt to assassinate trump but work that democracy can live in georgia and what are policies that we need for the people . Thats what we got to do. Thank you for being honest and sharinging that. Youre not alone. [applause] come on up. Former we get did you want to, can we bring mic clear to miller . I think he needs the mic. Bring him the whole i think what we have to tell these people that one of these quote unquote farmers that you were telling these stories about [laughter] was give them that life, give them that time to come do that work. And you and i often wondered what would they allow to . Six months ago i heard alert representing the people that ive tried to cross the border. You know, spirit that said i want the toughest case you guys i want to work on it and you said okay were going to send you sam dalton to work with sam dalton and he did. Sam dalton a lawyer in louisiana yeah. He did a wonderful job of training him and doing things right and a judge asked them dalton one time first dalton just how many times are you coming up here with this case . [laughter] and what did he say . Until we get it right, judge. Thank you. To learn echoed that comment to the judge, tried to deny the right to the people crossing border. Yes. Because lead it seems, and it seemed what real advocates were. So because youre not the top of the list with expertise if everything, that youre not important. Lee was very important thing for those people. I bet he could learn and get it so they can even have flu shots. I hate to think about anything that, but wouldnt give flu shots to those at the border lead to learn. I want to tell you one more thing somebody stopped by office last week and said he just been to family one of his reunion with his classmate i said oh, really i said where was reunion he said well we have a res union for those of us that broke into the office at Duke University<\/a> so we could go to school last. Thanks miller. Thrilledded to have the opportunity to be here and i have heard you one other time and i see you today and i remember reading that you are 80 year old. And just a couple of months im going to be 75 and in my life i was activated by the whole issue of women in our culture and our society. So i was active in Women Movement<\/a> all of my life. And if Civil Rights Movement<\/a> and i retired from 12 years ago and in our culture, we have with this idea that age and retirement look like this. That is, you know, well you can just sit around. You can i want to ask because ive been by 47yearold friend who said you need to get your brain jumping around again. Youre bored and i look at you and i hear this ageism now. I was into well i was into, my life came out and my activism around Women Movement<\/a>, and the Civil Rights Movement<\/a>, and now i see im like i said well 74 going on 75, and people say well you would like to say your age . Absolutely. And i i know that theres a fire inside of me that says it is time now it is time to embrace that piece that idea that we so i want to thank you for looking so great at 80 [applause] and i want to thank you for your sense of humor because when i heard you speak bearch i want to thank you for being a role molds for me as im a age and feeling the fire and i just wanted to just kind of pick you up and go whew thank you. Thank you for sharing. Were going to take these last three questions and close out for signing now i want to sign a new book thats the fun part right it was the hard part. Hello my name is ellen i work with Friends Committee<\/a> on national legislation, and we are working to limit the president s ability to send people into war. To repeal use of military force. So i have friends in other organization who is take a different approach to things. Some people are just really angry and they risk their anger. Im working when this group where were trying to go in and see republicanses as people [laughter] looking forward to it. It is important but i have friends who dont. And i just want to hear from you you how do you deal with your friends who hate republicans . [laughter] ill just give you my situatin when i first started with the Death Penalty<\/a> and here where it was a terrible statistic i was telling that in the mid80s it just showed the more people went to church, the more they believed in the Death Penalty<\/a>. So here imwith all of my fellow christians everybody in that cast is believing in the Death Penalty<\/a> say prolife and killing people and thats so youve got to come to a place where either you can be angry at people say you call yourself christian you hypocrite what jesus and where does that get you . Where is common human ground and what is the reason that some people are joining the Republican Party<\/a> or sticking to trump . Youve got to understand some conversations you can never have and i had a wise editor jasoned a time when i wrote dead man walking, and he divided the American Population<\/a> and turned out to be right on, right on. He said one fifth of people already these people in Amnesty International<\/a> whom lawyerses work and that are already against the Death Penalty<\/a>, on the other end of this spectrum i would put people who could be with jesus and Martin Luther<\/a> king, jr. On Desert Island<\/a> for six years to get off that island and say fry. You dont want to waste your time with those people because conversation is not possible with them. But with 60 of the American Population<\/a> they are about the Death Penalty<\/a>, and thats who youre going to go out to. Thats who is going to read your book and thats who the book is for. So there are some conversations that are not people with impervious to conversation and they vept so if you were the venter you know that conversation is not going to be possible so great talking to you. Have a nice day and you have to move on. Because every conversation with everybody is not going to be possible. But a lot of people found this out with the Death Penalty<\/a> they didnt know what was going on. They thought government reached out and knew what he were doing that we were only going to get guilty poem and now over 150 people. This kills a man in texas everybody i know close to the the case said that man was really innocent. Named larry he was just killed im going toy a piece on it man was innocent but you know what happened to him his appeals ran out. The constitution of limiting appealses so court killers too because they limit what had people when they do get the truth really their forensic testing that shows their dna say too late. And they let legality get people killed. You have to bring that to the people. We have to teach the people can cant do be doing that so theres a lot of waking but always with you have to discern is the real conversation possible here. Or not . Thank you. Thank you for being here sister. I woke up on 35 and i dont know if some day i think thats good. [laughter] you woke. I woke. So one of the things ive noticedded in georgia which is is frustrating for me is people tend to respond to the Death Penalty<\/a> based on this based on an voyage. Individual almost making that a person of celebrity troy davis and both of them got a lot of like such, you know, like new people, you know, interested and involved and protesting their murders, and then, and those new people involved thinking really believing that they were going to be able to stop that execution. And then not being there the next time. Right . Not being on this step not protesting even saying theyre too traumatized or just, you know, thinking that this person is innocent while troy davis is not last innocent person that state of georgia has murdered. And you know for me, it is very painful i knew kelly personally and never believed we were going to be able to save her life. Right . But to me its like how did we get past that individual looking at that individual deciding this person because the narrative they did their innocent or they became a a jailhouse preacher totally erasing that person existence and their had girlfriend and their whatever that we have this narrative how do we go from that individual and people thinking oh this is going to be the case . To seeing that system systemic . Problem because ive met every person on death row and couple people in the rule have too and to pus each one of them and i hope to all of us in the the room each one of them are precious. So you cant change those people that just say words and then individual and they move Energy Around<\/a> it and you dont see them anymore. It is really important to get involved in the process and hold up because this is where you actually like start writing to people as human beings. And then you start visit them and then you start helping the families to go there to see them so that theyre not alone you get involved with real people. Now youre not going to be able to determine that for everyone. Youre involved thank god you are, and so your job is to share what you see and what, you know, and always be inviting other people to be able to do that. A lot of people are still very ace loan on death row they dont have many visitors at all. They dont have many people writing to them had. And this is mil aired language and they think of them disposable human waste and involvement and needing human beings that finally is what we have to do. And because youve been there, and because you are meeting people, then you want to always be the one to be inviting people to write to get involved. Because youre there. Youll never change anything but when one human being has someone who visits them and can look in their eye and know that e they are a human being and it is what happens to you in the process i have become i have learned so much never a neutral situation when you run into another human being, i learned so much about courage, i learned so much about people who are suffered such abuse from child and a then they were guilty of doing terrible crime but people are all worth more than action. But we learned in the process so youve got to keep going because you dont want to give into a kind of cynicism of look people are seeing individual and then they drop out. You want to stay true to what you know and what you see. And you always want to be inviter to others. Come and see. Like somebody you have to be with me when im signing books so poem can meet you and youve got to have a sign up sheet all right. Okay. Okay one other person so you have got to be profound youre the last one. Thank you for coming to speak with us im julian so you were waking up and finding your fire what do you think that younger people in america and maybe everyone but younger people especially need to see and hear and understand for them to be able to find basically theirings and fire. Maybe not necessarily about Death Penalty<\/a> but about anything they care about. What had do you think they have to find . Of course look at the leadership the young people on gun violence. Look at the leadership that young people on climate change. Look at that young girl nailed greta Loving School<\/a> and going before that legislature we have to do something about climate change. Young people are awake i mean im with it in a lot of universities, a number of people taking Environmental Science<\/a> to be able to help the earth. Number of young people going into law they be able to be lawyers. For people who are poor not just top help rich people get richer. And big corporations, young people are full of potential. Sol your first job is just for you to be awake and you to get in there and you do something and you need other people as well but i, when i talk to young people when i get to deal with i mean they are waiting, i mean, they are full l of potential theyve been given a lot. And they have die of to purpose in their life and to give their life for Something Big<\/a> souled. Bigger than they can give their lives those are different from us. Just younger. So they, you know, i love being with them theyre like so full of potential. And goodness about and just wait then anybody can be that spark, in fact, we always ask with each other. I had e. R. Honored to have that spark. [applause] thank you. Look for the book, the book so [applause] if you need to purchase the book, you will do that in the back. Were going to bring this table right here. Were going to ask you to refile together into a cohesive line in the center. And then once you have met sister helen you will file out that way. So please try to do like church and get in a communion line. [laughter] book tv recently visited Richard Nixon<\/a> president ial library in yorba linda, california where republican senator tom cotton of arkansas described his time in the old guard. Which provides Funeral Services<\/a> at Arlington National<\/a> cemetery. All of those missions take a backseat to funerals. Ceremonies can be push later in the day they can be rescheduled. Missions can be declined and capital region, if thats what it takes to make sure that had if a family has a funeral scheduled in Arlington National<\/a> cemetery that old guard is there on time performing at 2 standard which is perfection even on 9 11 that was the case. So imagine if you will, youre in the is cemetery on the morning of 9 11 a beautiful fall day sky was blue. Weather temp rant and funeral began four or five or six conducted at the e9 a. M. That morning. And at 9 37, a plane flew not from north to south or south to north out of Reagan National<\/a> as usually the happenses but from west to east slammed into the western face of the Pentagon American Airlines<\/a> flight 77. And that pentagon is maybe hundred yards, 200 yards from eastern corner of Arlington National<\/a> cemetery. Imagine what had it would have been like to be performing one of the funerals or laying to rest your father or your grandfather, and to hear that explosion to see that smoke cloud rising up in the air those soldier continue their mission until funerals were other and started 10 00 mission exactly on time and 11 00 mission and the rest of those funerals all day long. The rest of the whole guard soldiers not dedicated to funerals that day dropped everything, though, and they changed down ceremonial blue uniform put on combat fatigues. Senator called sacred duty to watch the rest of this talk visit booktv. Org. And search for his name or the books title in the search box at the top of the page. Next, the general counsel for the fbi talks about National Security<\/a> issues. The American Bar Association<\/a> posted this half hour event. Harvey, thank you for the kind introduction, and its wonderful to see so many friends here, some of them i havent seen in a year or two it seems like. But there is more to my background and what harvey said and want to recall it. We have law students or younger attorneys here, because its kind of integral to my life in public service. 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