Clarence B. Jones Impact Award

Overview

In 1987 in Tennessee, Pervis Payne, an intellectually disabled Black man, was convicted and sentenced to death for the murders of 28-year-old Charisse Christopher and her 2-year-old daughter Lacie, who were white, after a trial marred by prosecutorial misconduct and racial bias. No physical evidence supported the allegations against Payne.

In 2020, at the height of the covid pandemic, Innocence Project's extraordinary digital team mounted a powerful campaign, working alongside their legal, policy, and advocacy teams and a swathe of community and faith groups to stay the execution of Pervis Payne. Their digital team mobilized millions of people to sign petitions, call legislators, and much more.

In 2021, a Tennessee judge vacated Pervis's death sentence. Pervis had been on death row for 33 years.

Innocence Project’s Alicia Maule and Rolanda Holman, Pervis Payne’s sister, accepted the award and gave a keynote presentation at ComNet22.

Quote from the keynote speech
“Working on Pervis Payne’s campaign with the Innocence Project, his family, and our many partners has been a great privilege and opportunity to prove that the power of community is boundless.”
— Alicia Maule, Innocence Project