I had to take breaks while reading this as it was just so upsetting and a stressful read, especially when Stevenson gets into his work with incarcerated children. The just utter lack a regard to these people's lives is disgusting.
Bryan Stevenson has just dedicated his life to this and has had such a powerful impact on many people's lives and even had hand in changing laws (here, here, here) that were very much unfair. We still have long steps to go in getting the justice system to not be such a crapshoot, needlessly biased against all people of color and poor people, but the strides this man has taken so far are pretty amazing.
It's also interesting to think about how had he not volunteered with the SPDC and met Henry, who was on death row, and really got to know this man, that it might not have gotten him thinking about the injustice of it all and started him on this quest.
"I frequently had difficult conversations with clients who were struggling and despairing over their situations-over the things they'd done, or had been done to them, that had led them to painful moments. Whenever things got really bad, and they were questioning the value of their lives, I would remind them that each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done. I told them that if someone tells a lies, that person is not just a liar. If you take something that doesn't belong to you, you are not just a thief. Even if you kill someone, you're not just a killer. I am more than broken. In fact, there is a strength, a power even, in understanding brokenness, because embracing our brokenness creates a need and desire for mercy, and perhaps a corresponding need to show mercy. When you experience mercy, you learn things that are hard to learn otherwise. You see things you can't otherwise see; you hear things you can't otherwise hear. You begin to recognize the humanity that resides in each of us." (pg. 290)I think the thing I find most impressive about Stevenson is really just his way with words. Both with people and on page. It definitely feels like he gets the grasp on how to talk to people right away and some of his phrases really hit home the idea that there's something wrong here. The most prominent one that was pointed out my bookclub was that instead of life sentence, he frequently said death sentence - because that's what it was... you sentence someone to 100+ years without parole, that's a death sentence. It's insane to me that it took until 2009 before this started being changed.
This overarching story follows Stevenson's quest to get Walter McMillian off of death row for a crime he couldn't possibly have commited. The facts that stacked up against the police force and DA and courts that dealt with this who only wanted to get this murder wrapped up before elections, was just mind boggling. The lack of care in the case was just... horrifying. They put this man on death row before he was even trialed. They bribed people with lesser sentences if they said they saw him places he wasn't - even though there were dozens of witnesses saying he was miles away from when the murder happened. This entire debacle ruined this man's life and while Stevenson ultimately got Walter, thankfully, freed, he was never the same and died thinking he was still on the row. It was utterly tragic and completely unnecessary that someone's life had to go out that way because of some people didn't want to admit they made a mistake.
As a far warning, there are some descriptions of people being sent to the electric chair that are pretty graphic and were upsetting to read. If you are anti-death penalty, this will be a tough one for you and it definitely gave me a lot to think about.
There is an absolute wealth of information on the Equal Justice Initiative website, which was founded by Stevenson in 1989, if you're interested in learning more, volunteering or donating. I haven't watched it yet, but have heard the documentary, True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality, was very good.
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