Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu has called social justice activist Bryan Stevenson “America’s young Nelson Mandela.”
His work on individual cases has generated national attention and his efforts have reversed death penalties for dozens of condemned prisoners. Stevenson’s remarkable TED Talk on the subject of injustice has been viewed over 2.35 million times and The New Yorker named it one of five essential TED Talks.
Come hear Stevenson at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12, in the Berry College Cage Athletic and Recreation Center. He will speak about his novel, “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.” The event is free and open to the public. No tickets are required.
New students at Berry were required to read “Just Mercy” this summer and participate in book discussions with classmates.
“It’s our way of welcoming students to the intellectual community at Berry,” said Katherine Powell, First Year Experience director.
Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, which provides legal representation for the poor and oppressed who are denied fair treatment under the law. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a murder he insisted he didn’t commit.
In his talk, Stevenson will discuss themes such as poverty, fear, inequality and justice. His memoir, “Just Mercy,” is the story of a young lawyer fighting on the frontlines of a country in thrall to extreme punishments and careless justice.
After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1985, Stevenson moved to Alabama. On a shoestring budget he started the Equal Justice Initiative, a law practice dedicated to defending America’s rejected and marginalized people. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant and the NAACP Image Award for Best Non-Fiction, and was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People for 2015. Stevenson is a tenured law professor at New York University School of Law.
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Written by Public Relations
