Loss of Innocence, Beginning of Wonder: Mourning Khaliifa Williams

On Sept. 26, 2024, students attended an autonomously organized vigil to mourn the life of Khaliifa Marcellus Williams, a poet and imam  who was wrongfully executed by the state of Missouri two days prior. The use of wrongfully here is not to connote innocence, but, rather, the incurable devastation that is the death penalty and the carceral system. Khaliifa spent 24 years on death row for a crime that prosecutors had no direct evidence to prove he did. The following poems were shared at September’s vigil. To learn more about how you can help empower incarcerated individuals as an NU student, support Northwestern’s Prison Education Program and check out the Innocence project.