Skip to main content
Sojourners
faith in action for social justice
Sojourners
About
About SojournersEventsOur TeamWork With UsMediaWays to GiveInvite a SpeakerContact Us
SojoAction
OverviewTake ActionIssue AreasResourcesFaith-Rooted AdvocatesChurch Engagement
Magazine
Current IssueArchivesManage My SubscriptionWrite for Sojourners
Sections
LatestPoliticsColumnsLiving FaithArts & CultureGlobalPodcastsVideoPreaching The Word
Subscribe
MagazineRenewPreaching the WordCustomer ServiceNewsletters
Donate
Login / Register

A Prayer for Marissa Alexander

By Lisa Sharon Harper
Jesus Cervantes / Shutterstock
A woman praying. Jesus Cervantes / Shutterstock
Nov 13, 2013
Share

Jesus, please be with Marissa Alexander today.

You know Marissa, the 32-year-old mother who fired a warning shot in the air to ward off her then-husband who was threatening to abuse her. You know that she tried to claim stand your ground and was denied by State Attorney Angela Corey who said Alexander fired her shot out of anger, not fear. You know that Corey’s office prosecuted George Zimmerman and did not block Zimmerman’s lawyers from embedding the language of the stand your ground statute in his jury’s instructions. You know that Zimmerman was declared not guilty based on that language, while Alexander was sentenced to 20 years in prison because of 10- to-20-year mandatory minimum sentencing requirements in Florida.

You have walked with Marissa through the more than three years since the initial incident on Aug. 1, 2010. You stood with her when she was convicted in May 2012. You understand the pain of being separated by prison bars from family. You sat with Marissa in the Duval County jail when her daughter turned 3 years old in July. You felt the pain of her not being able to buy a birthday cake or presents or invite family to celebrate the life of a daughter with whom Marissa has had no contact since the child was 6 months old  — the daughter who resides in the custody of the very man who attacked Marissa in the first place. And you were with Marissa on Sept. 26, when an appellate court threw out her guilty verdict and granted a retrial.

You are walking with Marissa, Lord. You know the mountain she climbs. It is a mountain of injustice. It is the mountain of racially inequitable application of law. It is the absurd burden that an abused and threatened woman needed to prove that she was afraid and not angry at the husband who threatened her life and, by extension, the life of her newborn child to claim self-defense. It is the historic mountain of hyper control over black bodies and families; first on plantations, then through Jim Crow, now through mass incarceration. You know this mountain, Lord.

Stand with Marissa Alexander today at 4 p.m. Eastern time, Lord. Stand with her as she learns whether she will be released on bail to await her retrial.

Stand with Marissa as she learns whether she will be free to bond with, celebrate, and care for her toddler daughter and two older twin sons.

Stand with her and all women as we await this verdict:  Will the Florida courts recognize the right of a woman who has been convicted of no crime to be with, bond with, and love her children without restraint? That is the question.

Move the courts to answer in the affirmative.

Lisa Sharon Harper is director of mobilizing for Sojourners.

Photo: Jesus Cervantes / Shutterstock

Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!

Tell Us What You Think!

We value your feedback on the articles we post. Please fill out the form below, and a member of our online publication team will receive your message. By submitting this form, you consent to your comment being featured in our Letters section. 

Please do not include any non-text characters, such as emojis or other non-standard content, into your submission.  It may cause errors in submitting the form.  Thanks!

Don't Miss a Story!

Sojourners is committed to faith and justice even in polarized times. Will you join us on the journey?
Confirm Your Email Address.
By entering your email we'll send you our newsletter each Thursday. You can unsubscribe anytime.
A woman praying. Jesus Cervantes / Shutterstock
Search Sojourners

Subscribe

Magazine Newsletters Preaching The Word
Follow on Facebook Follow on Bluesky Follow on Instagram Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Sojourners
Donate Products Editorial Policies Privacy Policy

Media

Advertising Press

Opportunities

Careers Fellowship Program

Contact

Office
408 C St. NE
Washington DC, 20002
Phone 202-328-8842
Fax 202-328-8757
Email sojourners@sojo.net
Unless otherwise noted, all material © Sojourners 2025