Pejepscot History Center is hosting the fourth annual Chamberlain Legacy Lecture on the topic of “Selective Justice: The Death Penalty and Race.” The presentation is at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept, 6, at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 1 Middle St., Brunswick.

Alicia Cepeda Maule. Courtesy of Pejepscot History Center

This year’s speakers are Alicia Cepeda Maule, digital director at the Innocence Project, and Bangor Daily News journalist Troy R. Bennett.

“Selective Justice” takes a deep dive into the history of capital punishment in Maine, Joshua Chamberlain’s decision during his time as governor to send a Black man to the gallows and society’s ongoing inequities in the criminal justice system.

“We are privileged to have two high-profile speakers for this year’s program,” PHC Executive Director Larissa Vigue Picard said in a prepared release. “Troy’s 2022 Bangor Daily News series on Maine’s history with the death penalty provides an incredible segue to having Alicia talk about how the world-famous Innocence Project has worked for more than 30 years to exonerate the innocent and bring more equity to the justice system.”

Troy Bennett. Courtesy of Pejepscot History Center

Bennett is a Buxton native and longtime Portland resident whose photojournalism has appeared in media outlets all over the world.

A Brown University graduate, Maule has led the Innocence Project’s digital team since 2015. She is passionate about ending the death penalty and led the digital strategy campaigns that supported the litigation and communications efforts of several death row clients. Previously, she was a social media and community editor at msnbc.com and a digital organizer on President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.

The Innocence Project, founded in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufield, works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone.

Tickets to the lecture are $15 for the general public, $10 for PHC members, and $5 for students and active military. The program will also be available via livestream at a cost of $5 for all. Tickets are available at pejepscothistorical.org or by calling 729-6606.