Academy for Leader Development Welcomes Bryan Stevenson for Lecture on “Just Mercy”
Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, received a standing ovation after his TED talk on criminal injustice. Courtesy photo.
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Media contact: Lori Fogleman, (254) 710-6275
WACO, Texas (Feb. 26, 2015) – Baylor University’s Academy for Leader Development will welcome Bryan Stevenson, J.D., founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, for its annual lecture series at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, in Waco Hall.
Stevenson’s lecture is titled “Just Mercy” and will address the structural injustices in America’s criminal justice system.
“The issues that Bryan will raise awareness of are critically important for our students to understand,” said Jennifer Massey, Ph.D., assistant dean for student learning and engagement. “The lecture series fits with Baylor’s mission to understand worldwide leadership and become more knowledgeable about the issues leaders face.”
Stevenson's work with the private, nonprofit Equal Justice Initiative works to challenge biases against the poor and people of color in the criminal justice system. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and currently serves as a professor at New York University School of Law.
Throughout his career, Stevenson has secured relief for dozens of condemned prisoners, advocated for the poor and developed litigation aimed at improving criminal justice.
In 2012, Stevenson presented at TED, an organization devoted to spreading ideas in the form of short speeches, where he received a standing ovation and helped raise more than $1 million to fund a campaign to end the practice of putting children in adult jails and prisons.
Stevenson is a co-recipient of the 2009 Gruber Prize for Justice, which is presented to individuals or organizations that have advanced the cause of justice in the legal system. The NAACP awarded Stevenson the William Robert Ming Advocacy Award for the spirit of financial and personal sacrifice he has displayed for his legal work.
The goal of the Academy for Leader Development Lecture Series is to bring national and international speakers to campus to introduce students to leadership needs in contemporary society. Presenters identify pressing social issues and discuss the work they have done to address those issues.
The lecture is sponsored by the Academy for Leader Development, the Office of the Vice President for Spiritual Life, Spiritual Life and Baylor Law School.
The event is free and open to the public. Waco Hall is located 624 Speight Ave.
For more information about this lecture or the Academy for Leader Development, call 254-710-3104.
by Ashton Brown, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
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