Tom Block on EJUSA

Tom Block
Tom Block, Convener Moratorium Planning Committee of Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty (MADP)

Tom Block, Convener
Moratorium Planning Committee of
Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty (MADP)

“I first contacted Equal Justice USA in the Fall 2002 for assistance in formulating a proposal to MADP to appoint an Ad Hoc Moratorium Planning Committee to build a long range strategy. EJUSA Organizer Shari Silberstein helped me identify areas that should be included in the proposal and areas to focus on in our 3-year planning.

“Soon after, at a national conference in Chicago, Shari went out to lunch with some of the Missouri activists at the convention and agreed to be our resource person on our journey towards passing a moratorium bill in Missouri. She has done so much already to help us to tell our Missouri story that I am sure I will leave some things out.

“Along with expert advice, EJUSA has supplied our committee with moratorium resolutions, bills, and fact sheets from other states and groups, a Legislative Toolkit, and other resources. Shari has reviewed and commented on our past moratorium bills and has participated by phone in our first two meetings.

“We are presently developing our state-specific message and model MADP moratorium resolution for distribution statewide. We are also doing research on specific areas like arbitrariness, innocence, and racial bias. We are identifying legislative supporters for sponsoring moratorium legislation. EJUSA’s expertise and advice is extremely valuable to our success.”

By Shari Silberstein

Since 2000, Shari Silberstein has dedicated her career to transforming the justice system from one that harms to one that heals. Under her leadership, and using campaign strategies she helped develop, Equal Justice USA has helped end the death penalty in nine states, built first-of-its-kind conservative and evangelical coalitions for justice reform, secured millions in state funding for healing services to families of murder victims, launched an innovative model for training and dialogue between police and communities on trauma and race equity, and strengthened dozens of local organizations across the nation working for justice, violence reduction, and healing. Shari has been a national voice in helping to break down the silos between criminal justice reformers and crime survivor advocates. Her expertise has been a source in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, and Harper’s Magazine, and she has written op-eds for an array of media outlets, including Fox News, the Marshall Project, and U.S. News and World Report. Shari has a bachelor's degree in film from New York University and a master's degree in Middle Eastern studies from the University of Texas at Austin.