February 19, 2014
I believe capital punishment is one of the critical social justice issues of our country, and is, in many ways, the sharp edge of a deeply flawed criminal justice system. With 143 convicted death row inmates exonerated to date, an increasing awareness of how race, poverty and geography determine who is sent to death row, and a growing number of states repealing death penalty laws or imposing execution moratoriums, it has become clear that, from the grassroots up, the United States is fundamentally questioning this draconian punishment and its biased, arbitrary application.
This is why I am writing today to let you know about my new book, I Am Troy Davis.
You may remember Troy Davis’s name: On September 21, 2011 Troy was put to death by the State of Georgia, despite compelling evidence of his innocence. Troy’s execution was protested by hundreds of thousands across the globe, and broke new records on Twitter. Troy was named one of Time Magazine’s top ten influential people for 2011. How did one man capture the world’s imagination and become the iconic face of the campaign to end the death penalty?
I co-authored I Am Troy Davis with Troy and his sister Martina Davis-Correia, also working closely with other Davis family members in the lead-up to and aftermath of Troy’s execution. The book tells the intimate story of an ordinary man caught up in an inexorable tragedy. From his childhood in racially charged Savannah; to the confused events that led to the 1989 murder of a police officer; to Davis’s sudden arrest, conviction, and two-decade fight to prove his innocence; I Am Troy Davis takes us inside a broken legal system where life and death hang in the balance. It is also an inspiring testament to the unbreakable bond of family, to the resilience of love, and to how even when you reach the end of justice, voices from across the world will rise together in chorus and proclaim, “I am Troy Davis,” I stand with you.
It is my hope that the book will serve as a platform for education and mobilization around the death penalty and other egregious aspects of our criminal justice system. I am hoping that you may be willing to read I Am Troy Davis, and review or write about it on your blog (as well as other social media platforms that you may be a part of), so that your online community will be aware of the book, and use it as a tool in their/your discourse and analysis of these critical issues. I would also be very willing to engage directly with your readers in a discussion about the book and the issues it exposes.
Jen Marlowe
Author, I Am Troy Davis
Twitter: @donkeysaddleorg
http://www.haymarketbooks.org/pb/I-Am-Troy-Davis
CLAIM YOUR INNOCENCE 
May the Lord God bless your soul Jen Marlowe and the souls of Troy Davis’ family members, I know Troy is with our Heavenly Father now, and he is safe in the Arms of the Angel of the Lord. Selah. I cannot stop weeping every time I bring Troy to my remembrance, and it’s been nearly 3 yrs, I believe I will never stop. Ever since the legal murder of my brother in Christ Jesus, Troy Davis, I have not been able to stop crying when I think upon him – the sorrow is palpable. My faith in his innocence has never wavered, I’ve sent up my prayers for God’s mercy on his soul. My faith in God’s Justice is unwavering also, I just wanted to express how sorry I am for this travesty and injustice. For Troy’s family and also for the hundreds of thousands of souls who wept bitterly on that fateful day of September 21, 2011, I pray the Lord keep them and comfort them in their sorrow. I pray the ‘Innocence Project’ will file a claim to posthumously pardon Troy Davis and that the truth will prevail; I hope and pray the true culprit will be revealed and brought to justice. Please continue to keep Troy’s memory alive, my thoughts and prayers are with you all, in the Most Precious Name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, I pray, Amen.
Whatever happens, God is in control and every soul will reap what it sows in this life, no one escapes God’s Justice – either in this life or in the next, all must answer.