RALEIGH, N.C. — People behind the Vigil for Freedom and Racial Justice are holding a month-long observance asking Gov. Roy Cooper to exercise his clemency powers.

The month of December is not the most enjoyable to spend outside.

The temperature, however, is not what Kristie Puckett Williams has her eyes on as she stands outside of the North Carolina Executive Mansion.

She is focused on Gov. Roy Cooper and his clemency powers.

Puckett Williams is one of the minds behind the Vigil For Freedom and Racial Justice, which began two years ago after a turbulent year.

She works for the ACLU of North Carolina.

The vigil takes place outside of the North Carolina Executive Mansion in downtown Raleigh, calling on Gov. Roy Cooper to use his clemency powers.

“What we we’re saying ‘well, you know, that the system is racially inequitable. You know that Black Lives do matter, and the majority of people incarcerated in North Carolina prisons are black, then you should be doing everything you can to make sure those people experience justice,’” Puckett Williams said.

Since then, Cooper has issued pardons, but she says there is still a long way to go.

“In North Carolina, now we have about 30,000 incarcerated people. It costs the state about $2 billion to keep them incarcerated,” Williams said.

A few weeks after the vigil began, Cooper commuted the sentences of six people, and granted four pardons of forgiveness.

The six people whose sentences Gov. Coopers commuted per a release:

• Donnie Parker, 37, who has served 20 years in prison for his role at age 17 in the murder and robbery of Lila Burton McGhee in Person County. The Juvenile Sentence Review Board recommended this commutation. While incarcerated, Mr. Parker has been consistently employed and has successfully participated in work release. His sentence was commuted to time served. Mr. Parker’s projected release date would have been in Aug. 2024. 

• Benjamin Williams, 44, who has served 28 years for his role at age 16 in the murder of Kenneth L. Freeman in Edgecombe County. The Juvenile Sentence Review Board recommended this commutation. While incarcerated, Mr. Williams has been consistently employed and participated in learning programs, including obtaining his G.E.D. and trade qualifications. His sentence was commuted to time served. Mr. Williams was scheduled to be released on parole in Aug. 2023. 

• Kolanda Wooten, 37, who has served 19 years in prison for her role at age 17 in the murder of Jamaal Rashaud Pearsall in Wayne County. While incarcerated, Ms. Wooten has been consistently employed and has completed professional classes. Her sentence was commuted to time served.

• Joey Graham, 50, who has served 12 years for drug trafficking in Mecklenburg County. Mr. Graham is an Air Force veteran and has been consistently employed while incarcerated. His sentence was commuted to time served.

• TiShekka Cain, 38, who has served seven years for drug trafficking in Guilford County. Ms. Cain has been consistently employed and has participated in work release. Her sentence was commuted to time served. Her projected release date would have been Dec. 2024. 

• Janet Danahey, 44, who has served 20 years for the murder of Ryan Bek, Elizabeth Harris, Donna Llewellyn, and Rachel Llewellyn in Guilford County. While incarcerated, Ms. Danahey has been consistently employed and has successfully participated in educational programs. Ms. Danahey’s sentence was commuted to make her parole eligible on Jan. 1, 2023.

The four people who received pardons of forgiveness are:

• Stefany Lewis, 50, who was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury in Robeson County in 1991. Ms. Lewis was 18 years old when the offense was committed. She has since worked as a child care provider for many years.

• Cathy Grimes, 67, who was convicted of possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine in Wayne County in 1979. Ms. Grimes was 23 years old when the offense was committed. She has worked as a nurse for many years and is licensed in Maine and New York.

• Eric Colburn, 46, who was convicted of drug offenses and discharging a weapon into an occupied property in New Hanover County in 2001. Mr. Colburn was 23 years old when the offenses were committed. He is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who has worked in finance for many years and been an active volunteer in organizations supporting veterans and children.

• Brenda French, 60, who was convicted of drug and forgery offenses in Forsyth County in 1986 and 1987. Ms. French was 23 years old when the offenses were committed and has worked for years in Forsyth County to help people address addiction issues.

Puckett Williams says her passion comes from experience.

She, too, was once incarcerated and says she knows what it’s like to feel forgotten about.

“I was a victim of domestic violence, and I was just trying to survive, and oftentimes that survival was criminalized, and I would be locked up,” Williams said. “My own pain around this issue has led me to turn that pain into a passion and a purpose, and try to change policies.”

As many people make plans to see their families through the month, Puckett Williams hopes their presence in downtown Raleigh will catch the attention of people driving by and those incarcerated — not just the governor.

“It’s a message to incarcerated people that there are people out here who are waiting for you to come home, waiting to engage with you, to embrace you, to welcome you back,” Williams said. “There are people who believe in the ability to be redeemed, restored — and we believe in that restoration.”