On Monday, September 9, BSM hosted an anti-death penalty event related to the upcoming fall play, Dead Man Walking. Students from the cast of Dead Man Walking and those in Students for Human Life attended a speech by Damon Thibodeaux. Thibodeaux, a former Death Row inmate, described the nearly 15 years he spent in Louisiana’s Angola Prison for a crime he did not commit.

Speaking to the crowd of ninth through twelfth graders, Thibodeaux’s tragic tale resonated with the audience, as the reality of his situation set in. “For most of your lives, I sat in a six by nine cell and waited to be executed,” said Thibodeaux.

Campus Minister Mrs. Jeanie Judge, who coordinated the event, was excited about the impact the event had. “I think everyone walked away with a greater understanding of the reality of what it’s like to live on death row,” said Judge.