December 2024
Every so often, we have the extraordinary privilege of partnering with someone who becomes a true champion for the work we do.
The Brain family is one – or rather, a family full – of those champions.
Last month, we celebrated the Brains with the 2024 Spirit of Philanthropy award, and sat down with Andrew Brain to talk about impact, justice, and why we’ll never stop fighting for the wrongfully incarcerated.
Read more here.
November 2024
Hope isn’t always easy to hold onto.
In a system where change takes time, proof can be expensive and difficult to uncover, and innocence isn’t always enough. Those who have been wrongfully incarcerated often spend years trying to hold on to hope that justice will eventually be served.
Midwest Innocence Project Board Member Ken Nixon spent over 15 years struggling to hold onto hope while incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. Since his exoneration, he’s devoted his life to making sure those who are still waiting know they aren’t alone.
Read more here.
October 2024
When I ask Rodney Lincoln what he hopes people learn from his story, he answers in just three words:
Learn to appreciate.
It’s not the answer we might expect from someone with a story like Rodney’s. After spending 36 years of his life wrongfully incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit, it would be easy to assume that anger, not gratitude, would be the driving force in his life.
But though Rodney’s story is a crash course in the flaws, oversights, and rampant injustices that plague the criminal legal system, it’s also a story of hope. A story of resilience and dedication and family and community. A story about what we can accomplish together, and the work we have yet to do.
It’s an incredible story. And one you should read in his own words, here.
September 2024
Nicole is the Intake Analyst for Midwest Innocence Project, which means she’s on the front lines collecting stories and vetting potential cases for eligibility. It’s work that requires her to look at difficult and unjust circumstances every day. It’s also the essential first step in the long journey toward justice for our clients.
For every story of innocence we share, Nicole reads a hundred more. This month, we’re sharing her story with you.
Read more here.