Support the family of abolitionist Lawrence Hayes

Very sadly, our friend Lawrence Hayes passed away on March 22 after a struggle with cancer. Lawrence long stood up for justice: his family needs us to stand up for him again. Donations got him through a critical moment last year: Lawrence’s family urgently needs our help to cover remaining medical costs and funeral expenses.

As a member of the Black Panther Party in New York in the late 1960’s, Lawrence was wrongfully convicted in an incident in which a police officer was killed. At the age of 19, he was put on trial for his life, spending two years on death row until capital punishment was ruled unconstitutional in 1972. Paroled two decades later, Lawrence dedicated himself to death penalty abolition, helping to launch the national Campaign to End the Death Penalty in 1996. He organized tirelessly against this injustice, touring the U.S. and internationally to build support for the struggle. One such campaign took him to Georgia where he fought alongside many others to save the life of Troy Anthony Davis, an innocent man executed in 2011. In 2019, Lawrence revisited Troy’s story when he took to the stage with exonerees and family members of Oscar Grant, Emmett Till, Yusef Salaam, Jordan Davis, Louis Perez and Billie Allen in the theatrical staging of I Am Troy Davis. Lawrence shone a light on the urgency of abolition throughout his life.

Lawrence spent his last months critically ill with cancer and kidney failure. His daughter and main caregiver has been traveling from out of state to be with him, at considerable expense. Now she is planning his funeral: our hope is to raise funds to cover the costs of services so that his loved ones can gather to remember and pay tribute to our beautiful, beloved friend.

We urge you to support Lawrence’s family and are hoping that collectively we can share with him the generosity of spirit he showed us all – as a friend, advocate and social justice warrior. Thank you.