At last! Texas shows the way!

As you may have gathered from reading here over the past several months, Central Dallas Ministries has been intimately involved with a very special group of men as they work hard to rebuild their shattered lives. Known around here as "the Exonerees," all were convicted and imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.

Thanks to the efforts of lots of people, including our own Rev. Gerald Britt, the Texas Legislature has placed a new law on Governor Rick Perry's desk that will make Texas the national leader in providing for these who have been treated so unjustly.

Take a look here to read the short little AP note that made The Dallas Morning News last week.

To hear directly from one of these men and to revisit my previous posts go here.

Way to go, Gerald! Your trips to Austin certainly paid off!

.

Urban Ministries Prayer Breakfast promises to be great!

The Dallas Observer has a great story on Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins.
Read it right here.

Mr. Watkins will be our keynote speaker at this year's Annual Urban Ministries Prayer Breakfast.

Get the details on the event here.

14th Annual Urban Ministries Prayer Breakfast

Great news to share today!

Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins has agreed to keynote Central Dallas Ministries' 14th Annual Urban Ministries Prayer Breakfast!

This special, annual gathering of community leaders from every sector--business, political, non-profit, neighborhood and community organizing, donors and folks from every corner of the city--will gather on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at 7:15 a.m. at the Hilton Anatole Hotel to share in a morning of inspiration and challenge.

Mr. Watkins, elected DA in 2007 and named "Texan of the Year" by The Dallas Morning News, has led a courageous and ambitious effort to re-open a significant number of criminal cases in which DNA evidence and new technology indicated erroneous verdicts by judges and juries here in Dallas County. Working in cooperation with The Innocence Project, Mr. Watkins' efforts have resulted in the exoneration of more than 20 wrongfully convicted individuals.

CDM's own Gerald Britt has been working closely with this wonderful group of men as they work hard to rebuild their lives in our community. We are hoping to hear from one of them during this special morning.














Mr. Watkins will address the importance of pursuing and ensuring integrity and fairness in the administration of criminal justice in a community like Dallas. He will also be discussing the clear link between his own important work and his personal faith walk.

It will be a wonderful event!

Save the date today. Contact us for further information by emailing event director, Lisa Goolsby at lgoolsby@CentralDallasMinistries.org or by calling her at 214.823.8710 ext. 138.

More details soon! Please help us spread the word about this important event.

.

Thanksgiving for the prisoners. . .

". . .when I was in prison, you came to me"

Important value to keep in mind.

No one has "visited" prisoners more effectively than the leaders and students who work in the Innocence Project.

Go here to read a heart-felt thank you from one of the recent exonerees to round out your Thanksgiving holiday reflections.

Freedom is so precious. Justice so important.

.