If you think that the courts in this country are fair…if you think racism is in the past…if you think our prisons are working for us…if you think the death penalty is a fair punishment..or even if you don’t think about these things at all, I implore you to read the book Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson.
Did you know that one in three black males in America will be imprisoned? If you are under the assumption that this is because the black men in this country somehow make worse decisions than the white men in this country, you are mistaken. The truth is that our law enforcement and courts are grossly prejudiced against people of color as well as those living in poverty. While this dirty little secret continues to run deeply through the veins of our nation, there are entire groups of people being discarded and tucked away in prisons while the rest of us turn a blind eye to this terrible injustice.
This is just one of the many revelations in this compelling memoir by Bryan Stevenson.
Now, this may sound like more hopeless news raining down on an already flailing culture. But personally, after reading this book, I feel buoyed–even hopeful. Because, even though there is so much unresolved racism and injustice in this supposedly sophisticated nation, I know now that there are people like Bryan Stevenson, who is out there fighting like a real-life super hero. He has helped exonerate many falsely accused people, including those sentenced to death row for crimes they did not commit. He works tirelessly to fix what is wrong like it was what he was put on earth to do. This gives me hope. Bryan Stevenson inspires me and should inspire us all because he’s not just out there fighting, he’s winning. There are real heroes among us. Bryan Stevenson is a hero.