In a world that often feels saturated with injustice, it’s essential to pause and spotlight those working relentlessly to dismantle the systems that perpetuate violence and inequality. On Thursday, June 5, 2025, the Death Penalty Focus (DPF) will host its Annual Awards Dinner—an evening not just of recognition, but of powerful reflection and recommitment to the fight for justice and human dignity.
Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, this gathering will bring together activists, artists, legal advocates, faith leaders, and supporters who share a singular goal: ending the death penalty and transforming America’s criminal legal system into one rooted in compassion, fairness, and accountability.
👉 Learn more about DPF and join the movement to end capital punishment: https://sustainableactionnow.org/death-penalty/
📅 Event Details:
Date: Thursday, June 5, 2025
Reception: 6:00 PM
Program & Dinner: 7:00 PM
Location:
Skirball Cultural Center – Ahmanson Ballroom
2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Celebrating Courage and Advocacy
This year’s event will feature a lineup of remarkable honorees whose work shines a light on the human impact of injustice—from wrongful convictions to gun violence—and who are helping shape a more humane world through advocacy, art, and action.
🏆 The Mario Cuomo Acts of Courage Award
Jason George
Known for his prolific acting career, Jason George is equally celebrated for his tireless advocacy. As a Creative Council member of Everytown for Gun Safety, he works closely with Moms Demand Action and The 97 Percent, a bipartisan gun safety group. His influence spans far beyond entertainment—Jason is a powerful voice against gun violence and a role model for youth, often speaking at schools and community events to inspire the next generation of changemakers.
🎬 The Justice in the Media Award
Marshall Goldberg, Mike Tollin, and Randy Ferrell
These media trailblazers brought us the gripping six-episode docuseries “Justice, USA”, which aired on MAX in 2024. With rare, intimate access to Nashville’s criminal justice system, the series immerses viewers in the lives of incarcerated individuals and public defenders navigating a system plagued by racial disparities, untreated mental illness, and addiction. The series doesn’t just document injustice—it demands a reckoning.
⚖️ The Rose Elizabeth Bird Commitment to Justice Award
Gretchen Sween, Attorney
Attorney Gretchen Sween is a beacon of resilience in the face of systemic failure. She currently represents Robert Roberson, a man sentenced to death for the tragic loss of his daughter—a conviction rooted in the now-debunked theory of shaken baby syndrome. Thanks to Ms. Sween’s unyielding dedication, Roberson’s execution was recently stayed, offering a glimmer of hope in a case steeped in grief and scientific controversy.
✊ The Abolition Award
Kristin Houlé Cuellar, Executive Director, TCADP
Kristin Houlé Cuellar has led the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP) since 2008, and her advocacy spans nearly three decades. A fierce advocate for Roberson and others caught in the unforgiving machinery of capital punishment, Kristin continues to energize the grassroots movement in Texas—a state often seen as ground zero in the battle against the death penalty.
A Night of Purpose, Art, and Community
This isn’t just an awards dinner—it’s a night of solidarity and shared purpose. The program includes:
- Emcee: Legendary comedian and commentator Paula Poundstone
- Interfaith Invocation: Rabbi Hannah Jensen, Salam Al-Marayati, and Father Chris Ponnet
- Presenters: Professor Laurie Levenson, Betsy Beers, and Amy Aquino
- Performers: Spoken word artist Matthew “Cuban” Hernandez, and musical duo Dennis & Austin Doyle
Together, this diverse lineup will unite voices across disciplines and faiths to honor the progress made—and recommit to the work still ahead.
Why This Matters
At Sustainable Action Now, we understand that the death penalty is not just a legal issue—it’s a moral one. It’s about who we value, whose lives we deem “worthy,” and whether our justice system truly serves justice.
The death penalty is riddled with racial bias, economic disparity, and irreversible error. Wrongful convictions, like that of Robert Roberson, highlight just how fallible our system can be. And as long as execution remains an option, the state retains the power to take life under the guise of law—even when the law is wrong.
That’s why we proudly support the efforts of DPF and their honorees. We invite our community to stand with us in rejecting state-sanctioned violence and working toward a system that prioritizes rehabilitation, restoration, and respect for all human life.
💬 Get Involved. Be the Change.
Whether you attend in person or make a donation, your support helps elevate the stories that too often go unheard—and fuels the advocacy that saves lives.
✅ Donate or learn more about the event
✅ Explore our anti–death penalty campaigns
✅ Educate yourself and others about injustice in the criminal legal system
🔗 https://sustainableactionnow.org/death-penalty/
Let June 5th be more than a date on the calendar—let it be a turning point.
Join us in standing with the courageous individuals leading this fight. Let’s honor them not just with applause, but with action. Together, we can push the arc of justice forward—until it bends toward abolition.
No more executions. No more state killings. Justice for all.
Sustainable Action Now Report: Honoring the Life and Legacy of Sonia “Sunny” Jacobs—A Beacon of Light in the Fight Against the Death Penalty
Today, we mourn the loss of a true warrior for justice. Sonia “Sunny” Jacobs, a woman whose name has become synonymous with compassion, resilience, and abolition, passed away peacefully in her home in Ireland. Her journey from death row to global activism is not just a story of survival—it’s a masterclass in turning unimaginable pain into powerful purpose. Her legacy will endure in every exoneree she helped, every life she touched, and every step we take toward a world without the death penalty.
“Separately, we found that healing and forgiveness were the keys to a happy life afterwards. Now, through our foundation we are able to share our happiness and healing with many others.” – Sunny Jacobs
From Wrongfully Condemned to International Advocate
Sunny’s entanglement with the injustice system began in 1976, when she and her partner, Jesse Tafero, were sentenced to death for the murder of two law enforcement officers in Broward County, Florida. Their convictions were secured on the shaky testimony of Walter Norman Rhodes, who received a lighter sentence in exchange for cooperation. Sunny’s own jury recommended life imprisonment—but the judge overrode that recommendation and condemned her to die.
At the time of her incarceration, Sunny was a young mother. Her son was only 9. Her daughter, just 10 months old, was still nursing.
Five Years on Death Row—and a Broken System Exposed
For five years, Sunny lived in solitary confinement on Florida’s death row, waiting to die for a crime she did not commit. Her ordeal highlighted how fragile justice can be in a system riddled with prosecutorial misconduct, flawed science, and unchecked power. In 1981, the Florida Supreme Court found that crucial exculpatory evidence had been deliberately withheld. It also ruled that the judge had no legal right to override her jury’s recommendation.
Her sentence was commuted to life. But her freedom wouldn’t come until 1992—17 years after her nightmare began.
Meanwhile, Jesse’s story ended in horror. On May 4, 1990, Jesse was executed in Florida’s electric chair. The procedure went horribly wrong. Flames and smoke erupted from his head. The execution was halted and restarted three times. He continued to move and breathe throughout the excruciating 15-minute ordeal—a gruesome reminder of how the death penalty is not only flawed, but inhumane.
Freedom—and a New Life of Service
When Sunny was finally offered a plea deal—one that required no admission of guilt—she accepted. Freedom was no longer just a hope; it was a necessity. When she walked out of prison in October 1992, her world had changed. Her son was now a father. Her daughter was a teenager she barely knew.
But instead of retreating into bitterness, Sunny chose healing. She chose forgiveness. She chose action.
In 1998, she met Peter Pringle, a fellow death row exoneree from Ireland. Their shared trauma became the foundation of something extraordinary. The two married in 2011 and launched a global campaign to expose the harms of capital punishment, share their healing journey, and help others reclaim their lives.
The Birth of the Sunny Center
In 2012, Sunny and Peter began welcoming exonerees into their home. In 2014, they formally established the Sunny Center, a nonprofit dedicated to helping formerly incarcerated individuals reintegrate into society. Over the years, they created:
- The Sunny Healing Center (Ireland)
- The Sunny Living Center (Tampa, FL)
- Expanded services for friends and families of the wrongfully convicted
Their work was grounded in love, spiritual restoration, and the belief that no one should be defined by the worst mistakes of a system that so often gets it wrong.
Even after Peter’s passing in 2022, Sunny continued their mission, nurturing a home of hope for exonerees like Clemente Aguirre, a board member of the Florida Alliance to End the Death Penalty (FADP) and a fellow survivor of death row.
A Global Legacy for a Local Cause
Sunny’s voice echoed through university halls, courtrooms, churches, and grassroots gatherings across the world. Her story has served as a cautionary tale—and a call to action. Her work has saved lives and inspired a movement.
But now, the torch has been passed to us.
At Sustainable Action Now, we recognize Sunny’s contributions as vital to the anti–death penalty movement. Her life reminds us why we fight: not just for statistics, but for people—for mothers, for fathers, for the wrongly accused, and for the dignity of every human being.
👉 Support the ongoing fight to end capital punishment by visiting https://sustainableactionnow.org/death-penalty/
Help Carry Sunny’s Vision Forward
The Sunny Living Center remains a sanctuary for exonerees re-entering society. But this lifeline needs continued support. With Sunny’s passing, the center’s future now depends on the generosity of people who believe in her mission.
Your donation will:
✅ Provide housing and resources for exonerees
✅ Offer counseling and trauma recovery support
✅ Extend care to families affected by wrongful convictions
✅ Fuel educational initiatives to end the death penalty
Now is not the time to stand still. Now is the time to act—to ensure that Sunny and Peter’s vision doesn’t fade, but grows stronger with every exoneree welcomed into the warmth of their legacy.
In Memory, In Motion
Sunny Jacobs’ story wasn’t just about injustice—it was about the triumph of the human spirit. Her name will be spoken with reverence by abolitionists around the globe for generations to come.
Let’s honor her not just with words, but with work.
Let us amplify her legacy, fund her mission, and carry her torch—until the death penalty is no more and every wrongfully convicted person receives not just freedom, but a future.
🌿 Rest in power, Sunny. We will not stop.
🌐 https://sustainableactionnow.org/death-penalty/
Onward. Always.
