I Am Troy Davis

312 Pages·2013·2.33 MB·English

by  Troy Davis with J. Marlowe

Contents
Foreword
Timeline of Events
Glossary of Characters
Glossary of Organizations
Introduction
Prelude
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Afterword
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Praise for I Am Troy Davis
“Here is a shout for human rights and for the abolition of the death penalty. This book, I Am Troy
Davis, should be read and cherished. It will inspire courage in the hearts of those who are willing
to use their efforts to save lives and increase the quality of life for all people.”
—Dr. Maya Angelou, author, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

“Like Trayvon Martin’s monumental murder, the execution of Troy Davis was a historic
awakening for this country—an awakening of the deadly consequences of white supremacy.
Don’t miss this book!”
—Cornel West, professor of philosophy and Christian practice, Union Theological Seminary

“Martina and Troy are heroes from a family of heroes. This story of their lives is also a call to
action. It asks each of us to pick up where they left off by ending the death penalty once and for
all so the risk of executing an innocent person is finally eliminated in America.”
—Benjamin Todd Jealous, president and CEO, NAACP

“Read this book, about Martina Davis-Correia and Troy Anthony Davis. The lives of this sister
and brother were tragically cut short, one by cancer, the other through a cruel injection of a lethal,
chemical cocktail in the final act of a profoundly unjust criminal justice system. This book
captures their unflagging courage in confronting the challenges thrust upon them. More than
history, more than eulogy, I Am Troy Davis is an urgent call to action.”
—Amy Goodman, host, Democracy Now!

“I Am Troy Davis is heart-stopping proof that the death penalty didn’t just kill an innocent Troy
Davis and break and bury his gorgeous family, but it charred the soul of America. This book will
devastate you, piss you off, and then inspire you to work with your life to end the death penalty
forever.”
—Eve Ensler, playwright and activist

“I Am Troy Davis is a painful yet very important book, one that will bring you face to face with
the human impact of the death penalty system, prompt you to think deeply about the flaws in our
criminal justice system, and inspire you to stand with all those who have been wrongfully placed
on death row.”
—Susan Sarandon, actor and activist

“In this moving and intimate portrait of Troy Davis and his courageous family, Jen Marlowe
restores to Troy his humanity, and reminds us why every life matters, and why capital punishment
makes this country a pariah among the world’s democracies.”
—Gloria Steinem, author and activist

“Martina Correia’s heroic fight to save her brother’s life while battling for her own serves as a
powerful testament for activists.”
—Liliana Segura, the Nation

“I Am Troy Davis takes readers on the journey of a remarkable family whose faith, love, integrity,
and convictions propelled their fight for their loved one and a larger cause. Jen Marlowe’s careful
and sensitive collaboration with the Davises has yielded a narrative that will surely inspire readers
to pick up the torch that Martina Davis-Correia so bravely carried for social justice and human
dignity with every ounce of her being and every day of her life.”
—Laura Moye, Amnesty International USA former death penalty abolition campaign director

“A must-read book—the searing, heartbreaking story of a strong and loving family caught in the
vortex of a dysfunctional criminal justice system.”
—Anne Emanuel, Georgia State University law professor and ABA Georgia Death Penalty
Assessment Chair

© 2013 Jen Marlowe

Published in 2013 by
Haymarket Books
P.O. Box 180165
Chicago, IL 60618
773-583-7884

[email protected]
www.haymarketbooks.org

ISBN: 978-1-60846-295-7

Trade distribution:
In the US through Consortium Book Sales and Distribution, www.cbsd.com In
the UK, Turnaround Publisher Services, www.turnaround-uk.com In Canada,
Publishers Group Canada, www.pgcbooks.ca In Australia, Palgrave Macmillan,
www.palgravemacmillan.com.au All other countries, Publishers Group
Worldwide, www.pgw.com Special discounts are available for bulk purchases by
organizations and institutions. Please contact Haymarket Books for more
information at 773-583-7884 or [email protected].

Cover design by Ragina Johnson. Cover image shows Troy Anthony Davis
entering Chatham County Superior Court in Savannah, Georgia, Aug. 22, 1991,
during his trial in the shooting death of off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail.
(AP Photo/The Savannah Morning News, File)
This book was published with the generous support of the Wallace Global Fund
and Lannan Foundation.
Library of Congress CIP data is available.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For all those who have been impacted by our country’s failed death penalty
policy;
For those currently on death row;
For those who have been executed, for those who have been exonerated, and for
their families and loved ones, as well as for the families and loved ones of
murder victims and for the murder victims themselves;
For all those who have been in the trenches for years, struggling to replace the
death penalty with a more humane, more effective form of justice;
For the young people in our lives whom we love deeply: De’Jaun, Kiersten,
Renée, Alex, and Maya—your futures are the reason we all must continue to
struggle for a more just world;
To the memory of the Davis family’s three angel-warriors for justice: Virginia,
Troy, and Martina, your presence is with us each and every day
The Davis Family: A family full of faith
Troy with his family during visitation on Georgia’s death row. Back row,
left to right: Martina, Troy, Lester; middle: De’Jaun; front row, left to right:
Ebony, Virginia, Kimberly.

Courtesy of the Davis family.

Troy delights in holding his newborn niece, Kiersten.

Courtesy of the Davis family.