Happy 25th Anniversary Alabama Appleseed!

Appleseed’s Reentry Coordinator Ronald McKeithen introduces Appleseed’s clients at the Celebrate Justice event on October 24th. These men were sentenced to die in prison until Appleseed won their freedom.

This year, Appleseed’s annual Celebrate Justice event looked back on 25 years of advocacy for marginalized and vulnerable Alabamians. We celebrated alongside longtime supporters, founding board members, elected officials, retired staff, and our beaming formerly incarcerated clients, who vibrantly shared their stories with the crowd.

Appleseed Reentry Coordinator Ronald McKeithen celebrates with guests

In preparation for our 25th Anniversary, we combed the archives, and throughout the evening, we shared memories of the impact Appleseed has had during a quarter century. Over the years, Appleseed has played a role in reforms of: tenants rights, immigration, healthcare, disaster recovery, property rights, criminal justice, predatory lending, the death penalty, and more. Much of this work was accomplished under the leadership of the heroic John Pickens, our founding executive director, who joined the celebration.

Speakers highlighted some of Appleseed’s major legislative wins, including:

Passage of Alabama’s first Landlord-Tenant Act in 2006;
Ending judge override in death penalty cases in 2017;
Stopping the practice of Alabama sheriffs underfeeding jail inmates and pocketing profits in 2019;
Providing a 6-month grace period before people must begin paying court debt following incarceration in 2022;
Ending automatic suspensions of drivers licenses for people too poor to pay traffic tickets in 2023.

Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr attended the celebration

We were honored that several statewide and local elected officials joined us, including: Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr, Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Stephen Wallace, Bessemer Presiding Circuit Court Judge David Carpenter, Cam Ward, Director of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, Montgomery County Circuit Judge Brooke Reid, and Alabama State Representative Chris England, whose father, retired Judge John England served on Appleseed’s founding Board of Directors.

In addition to celebrating our history, we took stock of our current work, as Alabama’s leader in criminal justice reform and Second Chances advocacy. We have won freedom and provided hope for countless incarcerated people, like Ronald McKeithen, who served 37 years in prison, is now a valued member of the Appleseed team, and shared his enthusiasm with the crowd.

Appleseed’s Executive Director Carla Crowder with Appleseed’s first Executive Director John Pickens

Under the leadership of Executive Director Carla Crowder, Appleseed’s work has garnered national attention from major philanthropies. We have secured multi-year funding from: the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the National Football League Foundation, Arnold Ventures, and the Just Trust. Our small office of four has grown to offices in Montgomery and Birmingham where researchers, lawyers, social workers, formerly incarcerated advocates, and support staff come together.

“I like to think Appleseed brings out the best in our state,” Carla shared at the Anniversary event. “Over and over again we’ve brought together small groups of committed, caring Alabamians. We’ve fearlessly tackled what is most urgent and brought relief and hope to the suffering and overlooked. Yes, we have many challenges and many mountains yet to move in Alabama. But the people in this room have proven that more fairness, more opportunity, and more justice is possible when we turn our hope into action.”

Special thanks to our title sponsor, O’Neal Industries, our generous host committee, and board members Tiffanie Agee, Duquette Johnston, and Barbara Royal, who all played a role in the event’s program.

Celebrate Justice, 25 Years of Alabama Appleseed, was held October 24 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.