Race and Wrongful Conviction Symposium (Hybrid)

Hosted by the Innocence Project (IP), the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law, (CRIL) and N.Y.U. Law's Review of Law & Social Change, the day will be anchored by the historic, posthumous exoneration of Tommy Lee Walker, an innocent Black man executed in Texas in 1954.

The symposium will feature a series of thoughtful conversations led by those with lived experience, renowned scholars in the fields, and members of the media - exploring wrongful convictions, systemic racism and innovative approaches to reform - followed by a reception.

This hybrid event will be hosted in person and streamed. If you'd like to attend virtually, please indicate that during your registration in order to receive the streaming link.

Full speaker bios can be accessed here.

Info: Patrice Sulton, Executive Director of NYU Law's Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law; Christina Swarns, Executive Director of the Innocence Project; and M. Chris Fabricant, Innocence Project Director of Strategic Litigation, kick off the day's conversations.

Info: One of the leading figures in the historic posthumous exoneration of Tommy Lee Walker, Professor Burnham discusses the ongoing push for exonerations and accountability for injustice. Professor Burnham is the Faculty Co-Director of the Center for Law, Equity and Race at Northeastern Law, and the Founder and Director of the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CJJR).

Info: Dallas County District Attorney and retired judge, the Hon. John Creuzot, who reinvestigated and overturned Tommy Lee Walker’s conviction, shares his perspective on the case and the immense failure of the criminal legal system.

Info: Chris Fabricant, one of the lead attorneys in the Tommy Lee Walker case, moderates a conversation with his co-counsel, Lauren Gottesman and Alex Stein, together with Mr. Walker’s son Edward Lee Smith, who was born the night of the crime for which his father was wrongly executed.

Info: Boxed lunches will be provided with vegetarian and vegan options available. Please reach out to the event organizer with additional dietary restrictions.

Info: Distinguished academics and practitioners evaluate the evolution of capital punishment in America and its undeniable intersection with race in a discussion moderated by Prof. Vincent M. Southerland,

Info: For better or for worse, the media plays an outsized role in public perceptions and attitudes surrounding race, capital punishment, and wrongful conviction. Mr. Chammah, who has written extensively on the criminal legal system and the death penalty in particular, shares his take on the media’s influence.

Info: Learn more about the N.Y.U. Review of Law & Social Change, a premier legal publication founded in 1971 that publishes articles that seek to eliminate inequalities, correct injustices, or consider the relationship between the law and individuals’ lived experiences.

Info: Wrongful convictions destroy lives and cause immeasurable harm to families and communities. Three exonerees who spent years in Pr*son for crimes they didn’t commit share their stories of racism, injustice, and reclaiming their freedom.

Info: The Innocence Project; Center on Race, Inequality, and Law; and NYU Review of Law and Social Change invite you to continue the conversation and connect with speakers and fellow guests over light snacks and refreshments. Hear from Robin Dahlberg about her book, Breaking Point: When the Criminal Justice System Fails.

Event venue & nearby stays

Lipton Hall (D'agostino Hall), 108 West 3rd Street, New York, United States

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