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May 13, 2024
Mary Ann Key Book Club – A Community Discussion of “The Sun Does Shine”
Thursday, May 16, 2024, 6:30-8 p.m.
Minneapolis Central
Join columnist Myron Medcalf, moderator Minister JaNaé Bates, and community panelists Marvin Haynes, Moseka Nhya and Kevin Reese in a discussion of Anthony Ray Hinton’s “The Sun Does Shine.” This event will be recorded but not livestreamed. Learn more and register here.
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About an hour before Anthony Ray Hinton and I graced the stage at Minneapolis Central Library last month for our author talk about his book, “The Sun Does Shine,” we sat in a back room and talked. As he described his experiences and the trauma of his 30 years on death row, all for a murder he did not commit, he told tales of forgiveness that often draw the most flabbergasted responses. |
In 1981, Henry Hays tortured and lynched Michael Donald while he was on his way to get a pack of cigarettes for a relative in Alabama. Hinton’s book mentions the murder but does reveal the full details of that tragedy. It is difficult to stomach.
Hinton admits he did not know who Hays was when they became friends on death row, but once he learned about him and his past, their friendship continued. Hinton stayed with Hays until the end, when he and the other inmates on death row rattled the metal bars, a tradition to show the soon-to-be executed that they were not alone.
There are a multitude of lessons in Hinton’s book about pain, love, joy and forgiveness. But I also think one of the central themes, one I did not fully understand until long after I’d finished the book, is about friendship. Hinton had decided that Hays was not what he had done, despite the horrific act he committed against an innocent man – exactly what the justice system had done to Hinton. And he embraced him as a new human being, the person Hays had become in the years that followed.
Perhaps that’s Hinton’s greatest lesson. And I’m sure it’s one that resonates with our panelists who will discuss the book on Thursday at Minneapolis Central Library. Minister JaNaé Bates, our moderator, will join Mavin Haynes, Kevin Reese and Moseka Nhya to talk about the impact of the American justice system on individuals who’ve been affected by it.
Too often, people within the justice system are forgotten and overlooked, even after they’re released. I think Hinton’s relationship with Hays, in part, was based on the notion that we shouldn’t have the ability to just throw people away, regardless of their actions.
That’s a difficult concept for me to digest as a universal theme. But it’s also the principle that saved Hinton and his friends on death row, as they connected and bonded over their humanity and the imperfections attached to it.
Discussion questions
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What did you think of the friendship between Ray and fellow inmate Henry Hays, who was raised in a family of virulent racists?
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What does this friendship teach us about love and about hate?
Moderator
Minister JaNaé Bates (she/her) is a womanist theologian and Fulbright scholar. She has nearly two decades of academic and professional experience in ministry, social justice, politics, and communications, including over 7 years as the Communications Director of ISAIAH and Faith in Minnesota. Her work has included implementing the “Race Class Gender Narrative” framework and co-creating and co-writing the award-winning animated series MINE.
In 2024, Minister Bates is launching a storytelling coalition called Liberation Aloud and a companion podcast, Recorded and Monitored, along with her husband Dontez, who has been incarcerated for the past 18 years. She is currently the interim Co-Executive Director for Faith in Minnesota and ISAIAH.
Panelists
Marvin Haynes was raised in a loving family of five siblings by his mother and father in North Minneapolis. His childhood was marked by the strong values of love, discipline, and respect. At the age of 16, his life took a tragic turn when he was falsely accused and wrongly convicted of murder. Despite maintaining his innocence, he was sentenced to life in prison and spent 19 years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit.
In December 2023, his fight for justice finally paid off when new evidence emerged, leading to Haynes’ exoneration and release. Now a 36-year-old free man, Haynes is determined to advocate for criminal justice reform and support others who are wrongfully convicted.
Moseka Nhya is a recent transplant to the Twin Cities, journeying from Atlanta, Georgia, to join The Legal Revolution Law Firm, a non-profit working to put the keys to the law in the hands of those most impacted by it. As a multicultural, multilingual graduate of Paralegal Studies, she aims to challenge the societal stigma and shame put upon those who are formerly incarcerated.
As a justice-impacted individual, Moseka's lived experience led to her question: "What happens when the gates open, but you're still not free." The realities revealed in reentry fuel her passion to speak out on the harms of institutionalized dehumanization and to join the efforts addressing the innumerable collateral consequences that tempt recidivism for those involved with the criminal legal system.
Kevin Reese, a Minneapolis native, spent 14 years in the criminal justice system and is the founder of the BRIDGE, a grassroots group aiming to abolish mass incarceration. As the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Until We Are All Free Movement, and the CEO of Until We Are All Free Consulting Group, he advocates for transformative criminal justice overhaul. Kevin is also a published and award-winning poet.
YouTube 1:03:06
Originally recorded April 25, 2024: The Mary Ann Key Book Club hosted a conversation between Myron Medcalf and Anthony Ray Hinton.
Recording available through May 24, 2024.
"Mr. Hinton projected his wisdom, dignity and compassion so strongly. He made me reflect and inspired me to try to treat others more respectfully. Thank you to everyone who is involved in the Mary Ann Key [Book Club]. I have seen the discussions from the beginning. This is a wonderful resource for our community. I hope I never have to miss one."
“Since I watched via Zoom, I was able to share it with my mother - she wouldn't have signed up to do it on her own. Thank you so much for allowing me to expose her to this topic first hand (without just hearing about it from me).”
“I loved everything about this. It was like reading the book and then seeing it come alive in so many different colors in 4D. It was amazing and so moving. My soul was filled.”
“I have found deep value and education in every book chosen so far. Programs like this help me feel like a lifelong learner engaging with our world’s challenges and history, with a firm grounding in the ways these things impact us in Minnesota. This community book club is indispensable and I’m forever grateful to get to be a part of it.”
The Power of People Leadership Institute supports a Re-Planting program to serve justice-impacted individuals within and without Minnesota prisons by helping them overcome obstacles and achieve success in all areas of life through personal power, personal development, and leadership training. Learn more the program here.
Podcasts discussing issues around mass incarceration:
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Rattling the Bars showcases individuals and communities nationwide who are grappling with real solutions to problems created by the prison-industrial complex.
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Beyond Prisons is a podcast on prison abolition that elevates the voices of people directly impacted by the system.
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WE GOT US NOW is a podcast that shines a spotlight on the invisible population of 10 million children and young adults in the US impacted by parental incarceration.
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The Star Tribune is a valued partner of the Mary Ann Key Book Club and has made Mr. Medcalf's book club columns available to all readers, no subscription required. Mr. Medcalf is leveraging his column to further engage our community on the truths of the past, our challenges in the present, and the possibilities of the future. |
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