Dearing (left) on New England Cable News, discussing the Tsarnaev sentencing verdict.
Associate Professor Tiziana Dearing continues to offer her unique perspective to some of the biggest stories taking place in the news—most recently, as a commentator on WBUR’s special coverage of the jury verdict for the sentencing phase of the Boston Marathon Bombing Trial.
“There is nothing that we can or would find from this [decision] that will heal the [collective pain of the community],” said Dearing, in response to the breaking news that convicted bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had been sentenced to the death penalty.
“This is not a healing process, this is a criminal justice process… At some point, we’re going to have to step back and say, ‘Where does the healing go from here?’ because we still have a collective story that twelve people wrote the end to. Now, we have to move forward, come to grips with the evil that was in our midst, and decide who we are as a community.”
Listen to more of Dearing’s WBUR commentary. Her remarks start at around the 7:30 mark.
Dearing also appeared on New England Cable News to offer a response to the Tsarnaev sentencing. When asked about the racial dimension of this particular death penalty case, Dearing responded:
“We have many death penalty trials in the U.S. that are centrally about race. This one plays out differently, and in the overall discussion of the death penalty, having a different discussion, a different framework… may allow us to have a more robust and a more sophisticated public debate, which we clearly need.”
Dearing is an experienced blogger, writing for the Huffington Post and WBUR’s Cognoscenti, and a seasoned commentator on television and radio.
Her viewpoints have roots in a blend of experiences, including: as a professor of macro social work, an anti-poverty activist, a public voice on social justice, and as former head of Catholic Charities in Boston—a $40 million social service agency serving people in poverty.
Since arriving at the Boston College School of Social Work, she has lent her expertise to a variety of stories, including: the riots in Ferguson, Missouri, celebrating the life of the late Boston mayor Tom Menino, and Pope Francis’ role as social innovator, to name just a few.