Hoping that what began as a birthday gift will end as a birthday gift!

Two things are quickly approaching. In a few weeks I’ll hit the 90-year mark. And in a few months, Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s term will come to an end. Those 2 prospects this week prompted me to attack some unfinished business: I sent a formal letter to Governor Whitmer with a serious, urgent request for positive response to a posthumous pardon application for my late friend, Maurice Carter. That request was filed more than a decade ago. Still no action! 

Many of you know that Maurice was the catalyst for everything we do at Humanity for Prisoners.  In the mid-1990s, I partnered with him in a grueling, ten-year battle to overturn his wrongful conviction. We achieved a partial victory in 2004 when Governor Jennifer Granholm granted him clemency for health reasons. Maurice was freed, but tragically, he passed away just three months later. He died a free man, but he did not die an exonerated man. 

In 2014, a dedicated team of University of Michigan law students filed an appeal for a posthumous pardon. It was my son Matt’s idea as a birthday gift for me. He and former board member and wrongful conviction attorney Marla Mitchell-Cichon started the ball rolling several years earlier. 

While Maurice is no longer with us, his legacy is vibrant and alive. His harrowing journey and ultimate resilience inspired my book, Sweet Freedom, an award-winning documentary by Nathan Roels, and a powerful theatrical drama by Donald Molnar and Alicia Payne. 

Most importantly, Maurice’s struggle led to the birth of Humanity for Prisoners. What began as one man’s fight against a broken system has grown into a movement. This past August, HFP celebrated its 25th anniversary. Just weeks ago, we were incredibly honored to receive the prestigious Justice Warrior Award from Safe and Just Michigan. Today, our data shows that HFP has touched the lives of roughly half of the entire prison population in Michigan! 

None of this would exist without Maurice Carter.

I have provided Governor Whitmer with a mountain of supporting evidence, including a resolution from the HFP Board of Directors and a letter from the legendary wrongful conviction fighter Rob Warden. 

As I turn 90, I’m looking for just this one gift. I am looking for justice. I am urging Governor Whitmer to close this painful chapter of Michigan history and grant Maurice the official exoneration he earned. 

That 2014 pardon application has been resting on someone’s desk all these years. It’s time to finally clear his name! 

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” ~Mark Twain

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