Honoree

The Southern Center for Human Rights is honored to recognize Sister Helen Prejean at the 50 Years Forward Gala with the Frederick Douglass Human Rights Award in recognition of her tireless, transformative work to end the death penalty.

Known around the world for her courageous advocacy, Sister Helen has helped spark a national dialogue on capital punishment and played a pivotal role in shaping the Catholic Church’s opposition to executions.

Her groundbreaking memoir, Dead Man Walking, brought the realities of the death penalty into the public view and has since been adapted into an Academy Award-winning film, a play, the most-performed new opera of the 21st century, and most recently, a graphic novel. For decades, Sister Helen has given voice to those on death row and challenged us to confront the human cost of the death penalty.

SCHR is proud to honor her legacy of courage, compassion, and justice as we look 50 Years Forward on Thursday, October 22, 2026 at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium.