Reverend Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr. to speak about death penalty Feb. 18

Beechy  Peace, Justice and Reconciliation Lecture Series: Reverend Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr.
Date and time: Friday, Feb. 18, 10 a.m. EST
Location: Church-Chapel and online at goshen.edu/livestream
Cost: Free and open to the public

The Reverend Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr., an internationally-known ecumenist, preacher, justice advocate and death penalty abolitionist will speak on Friday, Feb. 18 at 10 a.m. EST in the Goshen College Church-Chapel, as part of the Atlee and Winifred Beechy Peace, Justice and Reconciliation Lectureship.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr., is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) US and Canada. He serves as executive director of the Ohio Council of Churches. In recognition of his work to stop executions, Dr. Sullivan was given the 2018 African American Liberation Award from the National Convocation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the 2020 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Social Justice Award by Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio University; a Master of Divinity degree from Lexington Theological Seminary; a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary (Dayton); and an honorary doctorate from Bethany College (West Virginia).

Dr. Sullivan is board president of Journey of Hope: From Violence to Healing, and co-president of the Disciples Justice Action Network. He is an advisory board member of Death Penalty Action, immediate past board chair of Ohioans to Stop Executions, and a former steering committee member of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty. Dr. Sullivan holds life memberships in the NAACP and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Dr. Sullivan’s anti-death penalty activism stems from his interest in ending cycles of violence, a concern he has known all too well after the 1997 murder of his sister, Jennifer, in Cleveland.

The Atlee and Winifred Beechy Peace, Justice and Reconciliation Lectureship provides an annual opportunity for the college community to focus, re-examine and promote those ideals through a public lecture by a speaker knowledgeable and expert in peace, justice and reconciliation issues in current local, regional, national or international affairs.