Wrongfully convicted death row inmate of 30 years to speak at Berry College

Former death row inmate Anthony Hinton, who is featured in the book “Just Mercy,” will speak at the Berry College Chapel at 6 p.m. on Sept. 16.

Hinton is the keynote speaker at Berry’s Solidarity Week and the Conson Wilson Lecture series. He spent one of the longest periods on death row in Alabama history, a total of 30 years. He is also one of the longest-serving prisoners to be exonerated and freed.

Decades into his sentence, he sought the help of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, and with his hard work, Hinton was released on April 3, 2015. Stevenson is the author of “Just Mercy” and spoke at Berry in 2016. His efforts have reversed death penalties for dozens of condemned prisoners.

In 2018, Hinton published a memoir called “The Sun Does Shine,” which became a New York Times Bestseller, an Oprah’s Book Club Selection and a Christopher Award Winner. Currently, Hinton serves as a community educator as part of the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization founded by Stevenson in 1989. The nonprofit seeks to challenge racial injustice and advocate for marginalized communities.

Hinton’s lecture is part of the Conson C. Wilson Lecture Series which brings speakers of national and international note to Berry’s campus. This year, the lecture will kick off Berry’s Solidarity Week. Weeklong programming will include other speakers, breakout sessions and an intercultural fashion show, among other events.

For more information about Berry’s Office of Belonging and Community Engagement, please visit https://www.berry.edu/student-life/diversity-inclusion.