| From the Villa ge of Brook ly n |
OUR TIME PRESS THE L OCAL PAPER WITH THE G LOBAL VIEW
| VOL. 23 NO. 24
June 13 – 19, 2019 |
Since 1996
Owning the Story, Facing The Truth
Photo: Courtesy HBO
The Memorial to Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, is the nation’s only landmark dedicated to the memory of the more than 4,400 African-Americans killed by lynching. It rests on six acres of land owned by the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) —the legal services nonprofit founded by attorney Bryan A. Stevenson in 1989. EJI’s nearby Legacy Museum (image, p.9), is located on the site of a former warehouse where Africans were enslaved. EJI provides representation to those who may have been denied a fair trial. See Pages 8, 9; and Juneteenth events in the Calendar on Page 16.
T
Warrior for Justice
he most powerful man in America, the one who may help set the nation on the long track to the greatness it seeks, may be the social justice activist Bryan A. Stevenson. The widely acclaimed public interest lawyer, founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative legal practice in Montgomery, Alabama, has dedicated his life and career to helping the poor, the incarcerated and the condemned. And he has inspired a legion of others – many young attorneys setting out to make their mark in the pursuit of justice. Affirmation came earlier this week during passionate conversations about Stevenson’s dedication to improving the administration of criminal justice; his inspiration as a role model to many rising stars in law and his research in the psychological repercussions for those who suffered in the Jim Crow era. Stevenson’s story has not been overlooked by big and small screens. His autobiographical New York Times bestseller, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption is the subject of a feature starring Michael B. Jordan and set for release January 2020. Thousands from around the world trek to EJI’s National Memorial for Peace and
Justice and the nearby Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration which opened a year ago, April 2018. Both sites for which Stevenson was the architect, interpret the connection between lynchings and slavery to issues of the day leaving visitors are visibly moved. Stevenson’s sites offer a not-so-gentle, whirlwind of an interactive experience, focusing the observer-participant on some truths about American history and its ongoing effects today. In the last half-century, America has become the nation with the highest rate of incarceration in the world; authorized the execution of hundreds of condemned prisoners; and continues to struggle to recover from a long, painful history of racial injustice. Stevenson’s tracking of the intertwined histories of slavery, lynching, segregation and mass incarceration, reveals the criminal justice system’s role in codifying modern systemic racism. Stevenson’s Legacy Museum/Lynching Memorial work is the nation’s only dedication to the more than 4,400 African Americans who died from lynching. On pages 8 and 9 of this issue, Central Brooklyn middle and high school students reflect on their journey last month to
Photo: Courtesy HBO
Bryan A. Stevenson, Founder, Equal Justice Initiative Montgomery and Selma during the third annual tour of historic Civil Rights sites in southern states hosted by the Brooklyn Anti-Violence Coalition. Among the places visited was The Legacy Museum. We also continue sharing excerpts from the personal diary of Glen Beck, a US Marine & Executive Protection Specialist, who accompanied BAVI tourgoers.
Stevenson is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, is the recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship, the NAACP Image Award and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, among other honors. Coming up on Wednesday, June 26 at 8:00pm, HBO presents True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality.