Walter Mcmillian's Just Mercy

Just Mercy is a beautiful in-depth view at the racial inequities within the justice system in America. It also explores countless other topics such as sex, gender, class and ableism. Within it’s pages it exposes the truths of a wrongly accused man, Walter McMillian. Other examples lie within the text as well, but McMillian’s glaring innocents is the main crux of Stevenson’s story. Throughout the novel Stevenson looks at the many facets of the human condition. Above all else he discovers the intersections of oppression that make innocent people prey for a vicious and cyclical justice system. Examples of these intersections are Walter’s own race, his ‘violent’ manhood, and his low economic standing. Herbert Richardson acts as another central

In 2014 alone, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, and Michael Brown were all sensationalized victims of police brutality. The horrors of their stories were all true, and the media clung to their faces. Countless other young men of color also fell victim to police brutality in years prior, and since. These Black men were all unarmed and virtually crimeless. Walter McMillian shares his innocence with these men. In America, at the intersection of race and gender lies a deadly dance for Black men. The media frequently demonizes them. Examples include Michael Brown being described as a ‘demon’ by the officer who shot him. Other attempts at defiling Black men paint them as criminals, and innately violent. Walter’s mistake was his relationship with a white woman. With ancestries that date back to illegal interracial relationships in Alabama, the intimacy shared between Walter and Karen became deadly controversial. The following quotation delves into this topic. “Sheriff Tate only had one thing on his mind. He just kept saying ‘Why you want to sleep with n******?” (138). The town found this reason enough to tarnish the reputation of McMillian. Walter’s identity as Black immediately put him at a disadvantage because of the corrupt systems of inequality that have been in place for centuries. As a people, Black folks are still reeling from the deep inequality they faced both as slaves and

It looks at not only racism as its main mistakes but also the issues of classism, disability, and gender prejudice. In my experience with attending the Social Justice symposium I was allowed the opportunity to more deeply explore the many facets of racial injustice. In Just Mercy Stevenson reports on many blatant examples. In the symposium the speaker discussed issues of not just blunt physical force but also the weapons used against the black community. Her deep desire to find answers took her to the United Nations with a charter to charge the Chicago police department with genocide against people of color. It was a phenomenal comprehensive plan to finally place blame and fault with our corrupt government systems. I also attended a discussion about creating dialog, and how to do so. The speakers stressed listening to one another and valuing one another’s viewpoints. The two speakers took turns teachings us to relate and reaffirm one another. Over all, I found the two events I found to be extremely compelling and awe-inspiring. They did a phenomenal job of presenting us with the issues but also helping members of the community find ways to participate and elevate the deep racial inequalities in