The Equal Justice Initiative

It is hard to keep hope alive in the face of systems that are designed to dehumanize, control, and keep others down. In many ways the Criminal Justice System is one such example. 

That is one of the reasons it is so heartening and hopeful to visit places like the Equal Justice Initiative. The founder of EJI, Bryan Stevenson, represents the best of this country. His is a charismatic voice who continually and eloquently speaks truth to power. A powerful, caring voice that can be seen and heard on the pages of his book, “Just Mercy,” and the movie that was made from it. EJI’s Lynching Memorial screams silently while remembering the names of the more than 4400 who perished in terror lynchings in this country. We look away at our peril.

The halls of the offices of the Equal Justice Initiative are lined with pictures that let me, that made me, face and see faces of those this country would break and then leave behind because they are broken. As I made hesitant eye contact with the eyes in the photos, someone on the EJI staff quietly explains that they don’t see their work as giving people like those in the pictures a second chance because the pictures are of those who were not given a first chance. The work is to simply give them a chance.

As we strive to create a society that is built on liberty and justice for all, I am thankful for the time I have spent in the hallways of the Equal Justice Initiative.