Join Highland members on Wednesdays, February 21 and 28 at 6:15 p.m. in watching an inspirational speech given by Bryan Stevenson at a United Church of Christ General Synod assembly luncheon last year. Drawing on his faith and experience, including his work as an attorney defending vulnerable clients, many individuals on death row, Stevenson talks about how to engage the work of justice with courage, compassion, and a fierce hope for a better world.
Stevenson is the founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a human rights organization in Montgomery, Alabama, that has won major legal challenges by exonerating innocent death row prisoners, confronting abuse of persons in prison, including those with mental illness, and aiding children prosecuted as adults. He also led the effort to create the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, which several of our church members visited on a 2022 trip to visit racial justice sites in Alabama.
We will watch the speech over two Wednesday nights, with time for discussion. Please be warned that some of his stories mention physical abuse, including physical and sexual abuse of a jailed child.
Because his audience is made up of Christian leaders, Stevenson does not shy away from how his faith has been the guiding point of his life’s work, and he gives a rousing call to action to people of faith.
~ Lauren Jones Mayfield
P.S. Check out our Instagram or Facebook pages for more opportunities to learn about Black excellence as we continue celebrating Black History Month. For those who are not on social media, but would like to see HBC's Black History Month posts, please click here.