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Above: Ed Chapman speaks out for the N.C. Racial Justice Act.
A man who spent more than 13 years on death row for two murders before the case was overturned and charges dismissed will be one of two guest speakers at Western Carolina University on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Ed Chapman, who was freed in 2008, and Pam Laughon, a University of North Carolina at Asheville professor and mitigation specialist who assisted in his release, will discuss Chapman’s wrongful convictions and incarceration from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Room 309 of A.K. Hinds University Center. The event is free and open to the public.
Since his release from prison, Chapman has traveled the state talking about his experience and advocating for reforms to the criminal justice system. In August, he lobbied for passage of the N.C. Racial Justice Act, which seeks to remedy racial bias in North Carolina’s capital punishment system. The bill was passed and signed into law.
“I believe racial discrimination played a role in my case,” said Chapman. “Racism isn’t just going to go away. We need to help it go away.”
For more information, contact Cyndy Carvelis Hughes, assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice, at (828) 227-2172.
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Last Modified: Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009