American Injustice: Mercy, humanity and making a difference

Bryan Stevenson is one of the country’s most visionary legal thinkers and social justice advocates. His life work has been in working against mass incarcerations as well as fighting for the wrongfully accused. In his published memoir, Just Mercy, he chronicles his battles against a broken criminal justice system.

After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1985, Stevenson began representing capital defendants and death row prisoners in the deep south. Greatly impacted by his experiences and his desire to create change, he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit law organization focusing on social justice and human rights in the context of criminal justice reform in the United States.

Stevenson’s work has earned him national acclaim, including the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, the Olof Palme Prize for international human rights, and various awards from legal associations. A tenured law professor at New York University School of Law, he also has honorary degrees from several universities including Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University Law Center.