Bryan Stevenson is an incredibly
creative individual who demonstrates his creativity through his passion and
deep resolve for change. With an incredible passion for reform in the criminal
justice system, Bryan Stevenson has been working to exonerate innocent inmates
on death row since 1989. This work then led into the authorship of his book Just
Mercy, followed by the opening of a museum and lynching memorial in Alabama to draw attention to
the harsh realities of slavery in our country. This memorial also brought attention to the parallels between slavery and incarceration in our country.
Stevenson has been working
tirelessly to bring this crisis to the forefront of discussion in America. His
book drew a wide audience, and this book is now being made into a movie which
will be released in December. See the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVQbeG5yW78. Stevenson is working not only to
free those who are falsely imprisoned, but also to make this problem known to
Americans. The racial injustice that exists frustrates Stevenson, and he has
developed creative ways to resolve the problem. One way he does this is by, of
course, defending those in prison who he learns are innocent and falsely
imprisoned. However, Stevenson also has creative ways to draw this problem to
the public eye. Stevenson comes to colleges and schools to talk to students,
and he or a staff attorney from his firm does a tremendous job of responding to
students who send emails or inquiries. Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit
organization that represents illegally convicted individuals, also has an
internship opportunity which allows students to experience and participate in
the work that Stevenson does.
Bryan Stevenson also created a
memorial to recognize the victims of lynchings across America. He desires not
only to draw attention to the crisis in our prisons that exist today, but also
to show the past injustices and challenges to race relations that the United
States has gone through. Stevenson’s creative process is one that
focuses on those who are forgotten. He desires to draw to attention the
struggles and the issues that have plagued race relations, yet seem to have
been forgotten about, or that people simply are completely unaware of, whatever
the reason for that lack of knowledge may be. Stevenson wants to bring to light
the realities of lynching, prison overpopulation, and other ways that African
Americans have been discriminated against and treated unjustly throughout the
entirety of American history. Stevenson shows us that this injustice is not
just in the past, but that it continues to permeate society today. Stevenson
thus established and opened the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.
The motivation behind what
Stevenson is doing is clearly intrinsic. He does not do this work for external
recognition or money. Stevenson continues to push forward in this work toward
a better future. In an interview with Pacific Standard magazine, Stevenson
says, “I feel like I'm being watched by those who had to deal with the
indignation of segregation. And because they're watching, I can't afford to
stop. I can't act as if I can't do this, that we can't create something better
and bigger. And, you know, when you're surrounded by a community of witnesses
like that, it will inspire you to do things you might not otherwise be able to
do.” This inspiration points toward both Stevenson’s motivation and his
collaboration. He knows that there are so many who have come before him and
have done incredible work toward greater equality, and he refuses to allow their
work and their suffering to be left alone. Stevenson’s use of collaboration is
also shown through his use of a variety of media to draw attention to this
problem and get any and all Americans involved in solving the problem as well. The
Equal Justice Initiative has an entire page dedicated to Public Education, demonstrating Stevenson's emphasis on bringing others into this work and understanding. Between his book, law firm, interviews, TED talk, documentary, museum and memorial, and
now movie, Stevenson is a part of a multitude of projects to help bring this
problem to light and ensure everyone is aware of the injustice that exists in
America today. Furthermore, each of these projects give resources and ways that we, as individuals, can help solve the problem. Stevenson's work is bold, creative, and deeply needed, and it is clear that he is not going to stop pursuing justice anytime soon.
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I can't think of someone more deserving of recognition for his creative contributions to the conversation of criminal justice in today's world. It's a tragic reality that our society and our social institutions continue to perpetuate racist, harmful policies that steal lives and profit from slave practices. I wonder, however, if his motivation isn't extrinsic, not in that he is in it for the money or glory, but that he is driven by a need to create the tangible qualities of equity and peace in our society. I think Stevenson has a real interest in changing policy that could dismantle the profit seeking machine that we call criminal "justice," and raising awareness among the populous as to the tragic past of violence experienced by people of color and present day injustices.
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