National campaign to commute federal death row sentences wins gold at the Anthem Awards

The national #CommuteTheRow campaign succeeded in uniting dozens of anti-death penalty organizations, including the Innocence Project, Amnesty International, and the ACLU, to call on President Joe Biden to commute the federal death row before ending his term. The campaign mobilized thousands, collecting over 11,000 petition signatures and garnering over 200,000 impressions on social media. Most importantly, on December 23, 2024, it successfully led President Biden to commute 37 federal death sentences to life without parole, the largest number by any President in the modern era.  

We are grateful that the #CommuteTheRow campaign was honored with a Gold Anthem Award, as one of seven finalists in the Human & Civil Rights – Community Engagement category. The largest and most comprehensive social impact award, The Anthem Awards aims to honor the purpose & mission-driven work of people, companies and organizations worldwide. 

More about the campaign

The Innocence Project works to prevent wrongful convictions and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone. Since 1992, the Innocence Project has helped to free or exonerate hundreds of wrongfully convicted people, pass transformative state laws and federal reforms, and advance the innocence movement.

After the 2024 US presidential election, the Innocence Project moved quickly to create a clear and compelling campaign calling for the Biden administration to commute all federal death row sentences, before his term ends. This would not only fulfill a campaign promise he made years prior, but would also be a life-saving step towards ending unjust executions. Madeo partnered with the Innocence Project to develop a visual identity that encouraged the public to engage, share, and take action by signing a petition and putting pressure on the Biden administration to commute death row sentences.