What’s wrong with these words? Controversial, courageous, brave, hard.

Recently, I gave a talk at the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty’s annual conference about words we should stop using when we talk about the death penalty. They’re words like: controversial, courageous, brave, hard.

These words send the wrong message. They give the impression that only a few people can change the conversation about justice in this country. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. All of the incredible progress that we’ve made this year is because of supporters like you.

And it has never been easier to participate. That’s why we’re launching the Make Room for Justice Challenge.

Can you make a little room in your monthly budget – $5, $10, or even $25 – for justice?

I’m going to make my lunch at home this month in order to make a little extra room to pledge a monthly gift to EJUSA, in addition to my regular giving. All of our staffers are taking the challenge as well.

We’re making incredible progress, and with your help, we can make room for more. In Maryland, the end of the death penalty brought an important opportunity for the families of murder victims. A bill to help them just sailed through the legislature!

We’re bringing the movement to new places and audiences every day, from African American sororities to booth number 717 at the biggest conservative political conference in the country.

Won’t you join us today?

If you join the Make Room for Justice Challenge today, you’ll have twice the impact. A generous donor will double your monthly gift for an entire year!

Thank you.

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.