New York, NY- The following is a statement from ColorOfChange Executive Director Rashad Robinson:

“We commend Connecticut legislators for standing on the right side of history with their decision last night to repeal the death penalty. We encourage Governor Malloy to join them in support of this bill.

“It’s been proven time and again that the race of a defendant plays a crucial and unacceptable role in deciding who receives the death penalty in America. Black people have accounted for a disproportionate percentage of total executions as well as those currently awaiting execution. It is all too clear that there is a pattern of blatant prejudice in our application of capital punishment. We are thankful for the work of the NAACP, Equal Justice USA and other advocates who have fought tirelessly against the state’s death penalty for years. The ColorOfChange community intends to continue to support state efforts like the one in Connecticut. ”

Beginning Tuesday morning, ColorOfChange members signed a petition calling on the General Assembly to vote in favor of the proposed legislation to repeal the death penalty. The ColorOfChange community generated nearly 500 petition signatures and dozens of phone calls to representatives across the state.

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With more than 800,000 members, ColorOfChange.org is the nation’s largest black online civil rights organization.