Acts of Love: Bryan Stevenson

Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done . . . 

-Bryan Stevenson

Do you know about Bryan Stevenson, the lawyer, educator, and humanitarian? Over his 40 year career he has worked to reform the legal system of punishment in the United States, overturn the death penalty for more than 130 people, expand access to legal and pro bono defense, establish a National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and much more. 

Bryan Stevenson was born in a small town in Delaware in 1959. His father was a lab technician and his mother an equal opportunity officer. He grew up in a home where education was emphasized. He went to church and sang in the choir. The church promoted a philosophy of uplifting people even when they had “fallen down.” This influenced him and his later work.

He grew up in a segregated environment and watched as his mother openly protested these conditions. Bryan was a top student in high school and college, eventually earning a law degree and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard. During law school he worked for an organization that represents death row inmates. That was the experience that set the trajectory for the rest of his life.

After law school he worked for the Southern Center for Human Rights, then founded the Equal Justice Initiative. In one of his first cases he was able to exonerate and have released from jail Walter McMillian, who had been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. Since then, Bryan has scored a number of victories on behalf of people unjustly impacted by the criminal system, including those who are poor, uneducated, part of a minority group, young, or a combination of all four. His work is described in his 2014 book Just Mercy, which was also made into a movie. Reading this book helps you see how being “tough on crime” harms vulnerable people and unjustly punishes the innocent. If you want insight into how our system of crime and punishment really works, read this book. Warning here, it’s a hard read.

His list of successes and achievements is seemingly endless. He takes on the most tragic and difficult cases and provides relief for the people impacted. He educates the world about the damage wrought by the significant inequality in our country and the world. He teaches us about mercy and redemption. He does so with grace and humility.

The work of Bryan Stevenson represents love in action.