Bryan Stevenson

Bryan Stevenson, a renowned public interest lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, shares powerful insights from his fight for justice. He discusses the importance of 'proximity' to marginalized communities and how it fosters understanding. Stevenson emphasizes the role of mindfulness, music, and exercise in maintaining personal resilience. He also highlights the necessity of compassion in overcoming hatred and navigating fear. Through stories of collective memory and personal faith, he encourages listeners to engage actively in the pursuit of equality and justice.

Original Air Date: February 17th, 2021Everything we do, every relationship we have, succeeds or fails based on our level of true spiritual connection with others. How do we get back on track when we find ourselves disconnected from people? In this episode of “Super Soul,” Oprah sits down with acclaimed spiritual teachers—including Jill Bolte Taylor, Dr. Maya Angelou, Sister Joan Chittister, Thich Nhat Hanh, Gary Zukav and Linda Francis, Meagan Good, Rob and Kristen Bell, President Jimmy Carter, Pastor Wintley Phipps, Brené Brown, Tracy Morgan, Phil Jackson, Shawn Achor, Gloria Steinem, Bryan Stevenson, Malala Yousafzai, and Elie Wiesel—to discover the steps we all can take to find creative ways to nurture the bonds of love and a connection with the people in our lives, and then gradually expanding that to the rest of the world. Interviews with these talented writers, speakers and thought leaders are excerpted from Oprah’s Emmy Award-winning show “Super Soul Sunday.” You can also find this compilation and other insightful conversations in Oprah’s best-selling book The Wisdom of Sundays. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN 

Bryan Stevenson is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative. He and his staff have won reversals, relief, or release for more than 115 wrongly convicted prisoners on death row. He’s the author of the power book Just Mercy, and a winner of a MacArthur “Genius” grant. There are only a few people I’d say this about, but he’s a genuine American hero.This conversation begins with one of Stevenson’s most provocative arguments. “The opposite of poverty isn’t wealth,” he says. “It’s justice.” In this podcast, he explains what he means.We also talk at length about his argument — an argument I am now fully convinced by — that the question is not whether a criminal deserves to die but whether the state deserves to kill. We talk about America’s history, our justice system, our prejudices. We talk about what it’s like to be a black man in the South, driving down highways named for Robert E. Lee and attending high schools named for Jefferson Davis. We talk about the value of shame, and the way we honor it in the justice system even as we dismiss it in our national dialogue.The nature of writing these podcast descriptions is that they lend themselves to hype. I want you to listen, and I use this space to try to persuade you to listen. But that backfires a bit when it gets to a conversation like this one, which left me more changed than perhaps any of the discussions that came before it. This is worth listening to.Books:“The Brothers Karamazov," by Fyodor Dostoyevsky"Gilead," by Marilynne Robinson“Anna Karenina," by Leo Tolstoy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bryan Stevenson, a civil rights attorney and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, discusses the critical fight over teaching Black history in U.S. schools. He explores the controversy surrounding race education and the pushback against critical race theory. Stevenson highlights the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, emphasizing that acknowledging America's history of racial terrorism is crucial for healing. Through stories of victims, he advocates for the importance of confronting painful truths to foster justice and equality.

How to embrace what’s right and corrective, redemptive and restorative — and an insistence that each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve done — these are gifts Bryan Stevenson offers with his life. He’s brought the language of mercy and redemption into American culture in recent years, growing out of his work as a lawyer with the Equal Justice Initiative based in Montgomery, Alabama. Now the groundbreaking museum they created in Montgomery has dramatically expanded — a new way of engaging the full and ongoing legacy of slavery in U.S. history. Krista draws out his spirit — and his moral imagination.Bryan Stevenson is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama. He is the author of The New York Times bestseller Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.org.This show originally aired in December, 2020.

How to embrace what’s right and corrective, redemptive and restorative — and an insistence that each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve done — these are gifts Bryan Stevenson offers with his life. He’s brought the language of mercy and redemption into American culture in recent years, growing out of his work as a lawyer with the Equal Justice Initiative based in Montgomery, Alabama. Now the groundbreaking museum they created in Montgomery has dramatically expanded — a new way of engaging the full and ongoing legacy of slavery in U.S. history. Krista draws out his spirit — and his moral imagination.Bryan Stevenson is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama. He is the author of The New York Times bestseller Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.This interview is edited and produced with music and other features in the On Being episode "Bryan Stevenson — Finding the Courage for What's Redemptive." Find the transcript for that show at onbeing.org.

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.

John Lewis, a civil rights leader and longtime U.S. congressman, reflects on his lifelong struggle for justice alongside Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer dedicated to fighting racial injustice. They discuss the critical importance of voting and share powerful stories from pivotal moments like the Freedom Rides and the March on Washington. Lewis inspires young activists with his message of making 'good trouble' and emphasizes that when faced with injustice, one must always speak out and take action.

Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative and author of "Just Mercy," dives into America’s path to healing and reconciliation. He emphasizes the need for truth-telling about our historical injustices, particularly racial inequality. Stevenson discusses how confronting our past can foster empathy and communal healing, drawing lessons from nations like Germany and South Africa. He advocates for a shift from punitive justice to accountability and community support, urging a compassionate approach to societal issues for a more equitable future.

Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, discusses topics such as the injustice of wealth and poverty, confronting racial discrimination, the significance of memorial spaces and monuments, shame and the death penalty, bias in criminal justice, addressing trauma and rehabilitation, and the power of leadership and collaboration.