Nice News’ February 2024 Cause of the Month

In the United States, it’s estimated that roughly 1 in 20 criminal cases result in a wrongful conviction. And those wrongful convictions disproportionately affect Black people, who account for around 53% of exonerations. This Black History Month, Nice News readers have the opportunity to support an organization at the forefront of creating change in the justice system: the Innocence Project.

Guided by science and anti-racism, the Innocence Project not only strives to free the innocent, but also works to prevent wrongful convictions and create a system that’s fair, compassionate, and equitable for everyone. Since its founding in 1992, the New York-based nonprofit has helped to exonerate 250 people, almost 60% of whom are Black.

Innocence Project recently celebrated the beneficiary of that 250th victory: Renay Lynch. Lynch, pictured above, was wrongly convicted of murder and robbery in 1995 and spent nearly 26 years in prison in Buffalo, New York, before her release in 2022. Earlier this month, she was officially exonerated thanks to advocacy by the Innocence Project.

“I have waited 26 years for this day to come. That’s days without seeing my children grow up, days without holding my grandchildren, days that I will never get back,” she said in a recent article from the organization. “I’m grateful to finally have this weight lifted.”

One hundred percent of the proceeds from this fundraiser will go directly to the Innocence Project and its mission to restore freedom and transform systems. Click here to read Renay Lynch’s story, and here to check out the Innocence Project’s other cases.

More about Nice News: Nice News is an email series and website that curates positive news. We send uplifting stories to subscribers’ inboxes each morning featuring significant innovations, advancements in health and wellness, everyday heroes, and more.

Photo Credit: Jeenah Moon/Innocence Project