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for EJI. We usually honored a luminary in public service and a client. We’d previously
honored Marian Wright Edelman, the heroic civil rights lawyer and founder of the Children’s
Defense Fund. In 2011 , we honored retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. I
had met Justice Stevens at a small conference when I was a young lawyer, and he had been
extremely kind to me. By the time he retired, he’d become the Court’s most vocal critic of
excessive punishment and mass incarceration. In 2013 , along with Marsha Colbey, we
decided to honor the charismatic former director of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Elaine
Jones, and the progressive ice-cream icons Ben (Cohen) and Jerry (Greenfield). Roberta Flack,
the legendary singer and songwriter, agreed to perform. She sang the George Harrison tune
“Isn’t It a Pity” before it was time to present our award to Marsha.
In my introduction, I told the audience how, on the day of her release from Tutwiler,
Marsha had come to the office to thank everyone. Her husband and her two daughters had
picked her up at Tutwiler. Her youngest daughter, who was about twelve, had reduced most
of our staff to tears because she refused to let go of her mother the entire time she was in the
office. She clung to Marsha’s waist, kept hold of her arm, and leaned into her as if she
intended never to let anyone physically separate them ever again. We took pictures with
Marsha and some of the staff, and her daughter is in every shot because she refused to let her
mother go. That told us a lot about what kind of mom Marsha Colbey was. Marsha took the
podium in her lovely blue dress.
“I want to thank all of you for recognizing me and what I’ve been through. Y’all are being
very kind to me. I’m just happy to be free.” She spoke to the large audience calmly and with a
great deal of composure. She was articulate and charming. She became emotional only when
she talked about the women she’d left behind.
“I am lucky. I got help that most women can’t get. It’s what bothers me the most now,
knowing that they are still there and I’m home. I hope we can do more to help more people.”
Her gown sparkled in the lights, and the audience rose to applaud Marsha as she wept for the
women she’d left behind.
Following her, I couldn’t think of what to say. “We need more hope. We need more mercy.
We need more justice.”
I then introduced Elaine Jones, who began with, “Marsha Colbey—isn’t she a beautiful
thing?”