The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Bryan Stevenson on the legacy of enslavement

Oct 7, 2021

Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative and renowned advocate for the wrongfully convicted, joins Jamil Smith to discuss the newly expanded Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. They explore how the museum connects America's history of enslavement to current issues like voter suppression and mass incarceration. Stevenson emphasizes the need for truth-telling about systemic racism and the importance of memorialization. The conversation also highlights the parallels between historical injustices and today's societal challenges, advocating for compassion in responses to these ongoing issues.

01:03:00

Episode guests

Bryan Stevenson

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Episode notes

Intro

3min

Confronting America's Racial Legacy

20min

Confronting the Legacy of Injustice and the Role of Truth-Telling

5min

Confronting Injustice: A Call for Compassion

13min

Reflecting on Historical Injustices and Their Modern Echoes

4min

Confronting America's Racial Legacy

15min

Vox's Jamil Smith talks with attorney, author, and activist Bryan Stevenson about the newly expanded Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. They discuss the museum's project to connect America's history of enslavement with the contemporary realities of voter suppression, police brutality, and mass incarceration. They also talk about the museum's relationship to Stevenson's work with the Equal Justice Initiative, and legal advocacy on behalf of the wrongfully convicted.

Host: Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith), Senior Correspondent, Vox

Guest: Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director, Equal Justice Initiative

References:

The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration (400 N. Court Street, Montgomery, Alabama)
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice (Montgomery, Alabama)
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (Penguin Random House; 2015)
"Images of Border Patrol's Treatment of Haitian Migrants Prompt Outrage" by Eileen Sullivan and Zolan Kanno-Youngs (New York Times; Sept. 21)

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This episode was made by:

Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Editor: Amy Drozdowska
Engineer: Paul Robert Mounsey
Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall

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