July 1, 2015 – A product of the Civil Rights Movement, attorney Bryan Stevenson understands the impact that lawyers can have on changing communities for the better.

“I grew up in a region where black children couldn’t go to the public schools, and lawyers came into my community, and made them open up the public schools for me,” said Stevenson, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) in Montgomery, Alabama, in an interview. “And but for their intervention, I wouldn’t be sitting here.”

Through EJI, Stevenson represents the incarcerated, the condemned, and speaks nationwide on the problems and consequences of injustice in America’s criminal justice system, including mass incarceration and its collateral consequences on communities. He also speaks about racial disparities and the narratives that fuel injustices.

He was a featured speaker at the State Bar of Wisconsin’s 2014 Annual Meeting and Conference (AMC) last Thursday in Lake Geneva. Two days later, he was in San Francisco receiving the Carnegie Medal for writing the best nonfiction book of 2014.

His book, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, is also a New York Times Bestseller and tells the story about EJI, the people EJI represents, and the importance of confronting injustices where they exist, especially in the criminal justice system.

Prior to his inspiring talk at the AMC, he sat down for a short interview to outline his message about the criminal justice system in America. He says lawyers must get closer to the injustices in our communities and help change the narratives of fear and anger.

“There are lots of opportunities in this state for the bar and for people who care about justice to stand, to speak, and to do things because it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “And I hope members at the conference take that to heart.”