The Illinois Coalition Against the Death Penalty, Amnesty International, DePaul University and a host of civic, educational, political, religious and human rights organizations will sponsor a two-day conference “Death Sentence 2002: An Interfaith Forum For Humanity,” March 9 and 10, to underscore the growing momentum to end the death penalty in Illinois.

The conference will open Saturday at 11 a.m. on DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus, and includes a series of workshops, a dinner, musical entertainment and a rally. Sunday’s activities begin at 11:30 a.m. at St. Josaphat Church, 2311 N. Southport Ave., and include workshops, an address by Cardinal Francis George, archbishop of Chicago, and an award presentation to Gov. George Ryan, in recognition of his moratorium on executions.

Speakers for the forum include: Sister Helen Prejean, C.S. J., author of “Dead Man Walking;” actor and human rights activist Danny Glover (invited); Mike Farrell, star of “M.A.S.H” and “Providence” and president of California Death Penalty Focus; and poet and exonerated death row inmate Delbert Tibbs.

The registration fee for the conference plenary sessions and lectures is $20. Admission to the Saturday evening dinner and musical entertainment is an additional $10. For more information about Death Sentence 2002, or to register, visit the Web site at: http://deathsentence2002.home.att.net, call 312/849-2279 or send e-mail to: deathsentence2002@att.net.