Passion Project: Just Mercy By Bryan Stevenson

Passion Project: Just Mercy

By: Ayah Benothman

Standard 8.2

Theme: Pursuing justice through empathy

Just Mercy is a memoir by Bryan Stevenson that stresses the significance of empathy towards everyone to oppose the racism, corruption, and cruelty that contaminate American court systems and result in the systematic abuse of marginalized cultures. Prejudice and inequity thrive when individuals are condemned as different (“other” or “criminal”). This designation creates a gulf between various parties. Stevenson wrote Just Mercy, to help others look at people’s lives and experiences up close; resulting in empathy that can lead to mercy bridging this gulf.

Characters:

Bryan Stevenson is a lawyer dedicated to reforming the justice system. The core

Bryan’s clients have experienced unimaginable suffering, injustice, and cruelty, and their hope, strength, and `resilience set an example for Stevenson and inspire him to keep fighting. case studies point out that the prisons are full of populations that American society would rather criminalize than provide resources for the poor, the mentally ill, and victims of trauma, for example. Rather than committing collective resources to social problems or empathizing with people from marginalized groups, the justice system scapegoats people who are often victims

“In that moment, I felt something peculiar—a deep sense of recognition. I smiled now because I knew she was saying to the room, ‘I may be old, I may be poor, I may be black, but I’m here. I’m here because I’ve got this vision of justice that compels me to be a witness. I’m here because I’m supposed to be here. I’m here because you can’t keep me away.” The importance of community to resisting oppression: being woven into a network of passionate and dedicated friends and activists helped Stevenson stand up to the injustices he faced, not to mention that community has helped Stevenson effectively stand up to injustice on behalf of