The planning committee of Disrupt Death Row: Art & Justice wants to extend a very sincere thank you to all of the Island businesses, in-kind donors, and supporters for helping us turn the mere spark of a fundraising idea into a successful reality on July 31 at the Kara Taylor Gallery in Chilmark. The kindness, generosity, and community spirit of these generous people was truly magical and is the perfect example of how much beauty and power a collective effort can create.

Deep gratitude to all. Every single contribution helped to bring this event to life, and we feel so honored that we got to witness true activism firsthand. We’re so grateful for the incredible Island community that rallied together to help kick start Ndume Olatushani’s art career and support both the Free Pervis Payne Campaign and the Innocence Project. We are thrilled that we exceeded our fundraising goal, raising a total of $60,132, above and beyond the money that Ndume earned and received for his art sales. The Free Pervis Campaign will be gifted a donation of $45,132 and donations of $5,000 each will be gifted to the New England Innocence Project, the Tennessee Innocence Project and the Korey Wise Innocence Project.

We consider the African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,” and we consider what Ndume said about how “knowledge makes us responsible.” We are choosing to continue to push for an end to systemic racism by disrupting death row, together. If you would like to join us in the fight to free Pervis Payne, we welcome you to visit bit.ly/DDRopt-in.

Amy Cody

Chilmark

Also signed by, Caroline Harris, Caroline Hunter, Emily Palmer, Ali and Carly Sousa, Marisa Walsh and Lisette Williams.