WASHINGTON, April 14, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL), called on Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchison to immediately stop the execution of eight human beings that are set to face capital punishment starting on Monday. NHCSL has repeatedly called on Congress and the states to put an end to this inhumane practice, approving a bipartisan resolution last year calling for the end of the death penalty in the United States. In addition, earlier this week, NHCSL joined several organizations from across the ideological spectrum, including their partners at Equal Justice USA, co-signing a letter to Arkansas Governor Hutchison requesting a stay of the 8 pending executions.

NHCSL also recognizes Pfizer’s commitment to the proper use of the medications it manufactures and commends the company for demanding that the Arkansas Department of Corrections return the drugs it uses for lethal injection, as they were improperly sold by a third-party distributor contrary to Pfizer policy.

NHCSL’s stance against the death penalty is based on the clear evidence of bias against Latinos and other minorities in the application of the death penalty, the high costs of death row to tax payers, and the ineffectiveness of capital punishment in reducing crime, among several other reasons. According to the text of the coalition letter: “Racial bias extends far beyond who is sentenced to death. Studies show that when the victim is white, a defendant is more likely to be charged with, and sentenced to, death. Nationally, almost half (47%) of all murder victims since the 1970s are black, but for cases ending in an execution, only 17% of murder victims are black. This is but one piece of the long, familiar story of systemic bias in our criminal justice system.”

“When faith leaders, civil society, the private sector, and citizens of conscience unite behind a just cause, elected leaders should listen. The death penalty has a documented history of being applied arbitrarily, based on racial and ethnic bias, and too often used against the innocent. State-sponsored executions should not happen next week in Arkansas or ever again across our great country,” said NHCSL President, State Representative, Ángel Cruz (PA), adding that: “Latino legislators reiterate our call for an immediate and permanent ban on the death penalty, at the state and federal levels, to prevent the type of irreversible injustice that is the death penalty. We also stand firm behind our belief that the government should devote its scarce resources to prevention and rehabilitation, where taxpayers’ dollars will be more effective.”

A recent Washington Post editorial called the hastily scheduled pending executions in Arkansas a “state-sponsored killing spree” and similarly called on Gov. Hutchison to stop the upcoming executions. Though the state has not executed a prisoner in 12 years, it is set to speed-up the execution of 8 prisoners in 11 days due to the upcoming expiration of the drugs it uses for lethal injections. The Post editorial pointedly stated that “Mr. Hutchinson’s plan is not just unseemly. It is a scenario for subhuman suffering. If the state goes forward, it will be a blot on Arkansas, and on America.”

The likelihood of an innocent person being executed is too high and is increasing, Hispanic state lawmakers also warned. According to the text of NHCSL’s resolution: “…evidence suggests that Latinos have been executed despite possible innocence. Since 1973, more than 150 innocent people have been exonerated and released from death row after having been wrongfully convicted. These men and women collectively spent more than four centuries on death rows throughout the United States.”

The NHCSL resolution further reviews compelling evidence that shows that states without the death penalty consistently record lower rates of crime than those that do apply capital punishment. Further, NHCSL raised concerns over the fact that of the top ten counties that most actively seek the death sentence, all of them have large or majority Latino populations. In fact, the Fair Punishment Project recently released a report outlining death penalty cases in these counties.

The NHCSL is the premier national association of Hispanic state legislators working to design and implement policies and procedures that will improve the quality of life for Hispanics throughout the country. NHCSL was founded in 1989 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)3 with the mission to be the most effective voice for the more than 390 Hispanic legislators. For more information visit www.nhcsl.org.

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The Inter-American Foundation (IAF) is pleased to announce Paloma Adams-Allen as its new president and chief executive officer.  She will succeed Robert N. Kaplan, who is stepping down to pursue personal interests outside the organization after a successful six and a half year tenure.

Adams-Allen comes to the IAF from Winrock International in Arlington, Virginia, where she leads public-private partnership initiatives for the global nonprofit. Before that she served as deputy assistant administrator for the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Bureau, where she helped oversee programming and operations in 22 countries.

IAF Board Chairman, Eddy Arriola, said that Adams-Allen brings to the IAF more than 20 years’ experience and dedication to inclusive development in Latin America and the Caribbean. She will lead the foundation’s efforts to develop new strategic partnerships that improve the lives of the hemisphere’s most vulnerable people.

“Paloma is an incredibly engaging and dynamic leader,” Arriola said. “We are thrilled to have her take the helm at the IAF as we enhance our efforts to deepen impact and bring more resources into grassroots development.”

Adams-Allen will be the ninth president and CEO of the IAF and the second woman to lead the foundation. Born and raised in rural Jamaica, Adams-Allen received a bachelor’s degree in development studies from Brown University.  She also holds a master’s in international affairs from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Early in her career she worked as a program director at the Caribbean-Central American Action advocacy organization and served in several development policy and programming roles at the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, D.C. Later, as Senior Adviser in USAID’s LAC Bureau, she set up and led the Bureau’s public-private partnerships practice to encourage private sector support for high-impact development partnerships.

“I am incredibly humbled and honored to lead the IAF, renowned for its commitment to community-led development,” Adams-Allen said. “As the product of communities like those partnering with the IAF today, I know from personal experience the power of small, targeted investments in homegrown solutions. I look forward to working with the IAF’s dedicated staff, board, and partners in civil society, government, and the private sector to scale up effective models for enhancing good governance, economic prosperity, citizen security, and democracy in the region.”

About the IAF

The IAF, an independent U.S. government agency, was created in 1969 to channel development assistance directly to the organized poor in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IAF encourages partnerships among community organizations, business and local government directed at improving the quality of life for poor people and strengthening democratic practices. The IAF is governed by a board of directors appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. A president, appointed by the board, serves as the IAF’s chief executive officer, managing a small group of professional staff in Washington, D.C. The IAF is active in 20 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. 

For more information visit www.iaf.gov or contact Manuel A. Nuñez: [email protected]; (202) 683-7185.