Erica Sheppard

Eleven years ago I read an article from Essence magazine called "Praying for a Miracle:  Live from Death Row."

This article moved me to the core of my soul. I woke up early the next morning and penned a letter to Erica, I had to reach out to this young lady.

Since then we have become close friends or as close as one can get, when someone's mail is being censored and they are behind iron bars. I have visited Erica twice in prison and met her children several years ago.

Let me tell you about Erica. She is a 42 year old mother of three children, an abused wife and was sexually abused at a young age. She has been on death row for 22 years, for her part in a murder of a woman in Texas. In 1998, Jesse Jackson stepped in to stop her execution. She is now waiting for a retrial. Erica's three children are being raised by her mother.

Knowing Erica has certainly enriched my life.
- Beverley