Just Mercy....

I just finished reading Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy...a story of justice and redemption that was the non - fiction book the book club I just joined was reading....going to the club tonight for the first time.  I read it quickly as I HAD to...and it was excellent and a smooth read .   Bryan Stevenson is an attorney who started and continues to work for EJI--Equal Justice Initiative--a legal practive dedicated to defending rights of poor people, those who have been unjustly condemned and are incarcerated and on death row.  
     He brings to life the extreme injustices done to so many on death row and to juveniles treated as adults in our penal system and why that is so unjust.  Big R has spent many years defending the rights of juveniles and knows only too well how so many of their rights are trashed or not listened too.  
       Stevenson emphasizes that for Americans to fully understand and appreciate why justice goes denied so often in our country we first must understand the four institutions that have shaped our approach to race and justice.  These being the institution of slavery, the reign of terror during the Reconstruction period characterized by lynchings and the criminalization of former slaves, the institution of Jim Crow that legalized racial segregation and suppressed basic human rights and the institution of mass incarceration.
     I'm eager to hear what other have to say tonight...and looking forward to listening and sharing this good read with along with a nice pot luck meal:)