Picking Cotton

With a story that is simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting, Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton demonstrate that we are all capable of compassion and change, no matter how dire the circumstances. 

After suffering a brutal rape as a 22-year-old college senior, Jennifer Thompson provided eyewitness testimony that sent an innocent man to prison for life. Eleven years later, DNA testing exonerated that man, Ronald Cotton, and identified the true perpetrator. Upon Ronald’s release from prison, the two met and formed an unlikely friendship founded on the healing power of forgiveness. 

Together, they co-authored the New York Times best-selling memoir, Picking Cotton, in which they recount the tragedy that brought them together, and underscores the importance of reforms to alleviate the errors that can result from the fallibility of eyewitness testimony and the human impact of wrongful convictions.

On stage, Jennifer and Ronald blend their experiences to tell their unforgettable story of two individuals victimized by one crime, discussing the breadth of suffering caused by injustice, the possibility of redemption and the roles that apology and forgiveness play in individual happiness and growth.

Through their powerful and transformative message of overcoming adversity, audiences walk away inspired, enlightened and exposed to the need for criminal justice reform.

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