Art and Archives: Sister Helen and the Graphic Edition of Dead Man Walking

Earlier this spring, I had the opportunity as an Ellin M. Kelly Intern to curate materials for a pop-up exhibition and special event featuring Sister Helen Prejean. This post focuses on the legacy of Sr. Helen as an advocate for the abolition of the death penalty, the recent release of the graphic edition of Dead Man Walking, and my experience working with the Sr. Helen Prejean papers.

A recurring theme throughout the records held in the DePaul Special Collections and Archives is Catholic activism and social justice. Sister Helen Prejean, a notable Catholic activist, is renowned for her work as a death penalty abolitionist. In 1981 she wrote to Patrick Sonnier—a man on death row for the murder of two teenagers—and served as his spiritual advisor until his execution in 1984. Following Sonnier’s execution, Sr. Helen began corresponding with another man on death row, Robert Lee Willie, serving as his spiritual advisor until his execution in December of 1984.

The relationships Sr. Helen formed with Sonnier and Willie inspired a life-long dedication to death penalty abolition, and in 1993, she published Dead Man Walking, a book about her experience working with these men. Since 1993, Dead Man Walking has inspired a movie adaptation, operas, plays, musicals, and most recently, a re-telling of the book. In October of 2025, a graphic edition of Dead Man Walking was released in collaboration with Rose Vines and Catherine Anyango Grünewald. The graphic edition re-imagined the original book by providing an updated history of the death penalty and incarceration system, expanding upon the 1993 edition and bringing it into the 21st century, both informationally and artistically.

Every year in April during the week of her birthday, Sr. Helen comes to DePaul University to teach classes, speak at public lectures, and participate in events related to her legacy as an advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. In celebration of the recent release of the graphic edition of Dead Man Walking, Special Collections and Archives organized a book club for thirty-eight DePaul students. Book club participants were encouraged to attend an event with Sr. Helen Prejean during her visit, and a special event in the archives was planned specifically for the book club readers. As part of my internship, I had the opportunity to curate a pop-up exhibit and select materials for the event with Sr. Helen Prejean in the DePaul Special Collections and Archives Reading Room.

The event contained a selection of archival materials from the Sr. Helen Prejean papers, which have been held in the DePaul Special Collections and Archives since 2011. Many of the displayed materials were visually depicted in the graphic edition of Dead Man Walking, and were intentionally selected to parallel and supplement the book, strengthening book club members’ understanding of the content. Materials included correspondence from Sonnier and Willie, newsclippings, photographs, as well as letters of opposition to Sr. Helen’s work.

After attendees had time to view the selection of archival materials, they sat down to have a conversation with Sr. Helen and Rose Vines about the creation of the graphic edition of Dead Man Walking. This discussion, alongside the presented materials, allowed participants to understand and analyze multiple perspectives of the discourse surrounding the death penalty, gaining a greater understanding of the incarceration system as a whole. Working so closely with the Sr. Helen Prejean papers deepened my understanding of Sr. Helen’s activism and legacy, and the experience of curating materials for the event allowed me to practice the skills I have gained from my museum studies courses at DePaul.