New MVFHR board member

We are delighted to welcome Stanley Allridge to the MVFHR Board of Directors. Stan, who lives in Texas, has been an active participant in MVHFR's "No Silence, No Shame" project, was part of our panel at the U.S. Human Rights Network conference a couple of years ago, spoke at a press conference in Jamaica, and has made several other presentations throughout the years, helping audiences to understand the effects of the death penalty.

Stan is a family member of murder victims (both his mother's parents were murdered, in separate incidents, and his maternal aunt was murdered as well) and also a family member of the executed (two of his brothers were executed in Texas). Stanley was just 18 when his brother Ronald was executed in 1995. His brother James was executed nine years later. Stan witnessed both executions, and he says, “After the first execution, I knew my life had totally changed. I had witnessed something most 18 year olds can’t imagine. I didn’t plan on being an activist, but I feel like I’m obligated to talk about the death penalty and what happened in our family. I don’t think we need to be ashamed. We are marching and protesting and trying to put an end to the death penalty, and we shouldn’t be embarrassed to be part of that.”

After working with Stan as an MVFHR member for several years, we are honored to have him join our board of directors.