Bryan Stevenson

"Death Row Attorney" Bryan Stevenson believes his greatest achievement is "continuing to struggle when struggle doesn't make sense, believing we can make a difference."

As founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama, a non-profit organization that defends the rights of the poor and people of color in Alabama, Bryan Stevenson and his colleagues do make a difference. Their work has directly helped indigent defendants, death row prisoners, and juveniles denied fair treatment in the legal system.

Born on November 14, 1959 in Milton, Delaware, Stevenson credits his mother as being his greatest influence. She was " a kind and loving woman who spoke softly and valued quality, but could be combative when a situation required that behavior," he recalls. She instilled in him a goal to live a successful life measured by character, and her example clearly continues to inspire him as he seeks "a peace quotient in the face of ugliness and chaos."

While a student at Harvard Law School, Stevenson took a course on race and poverty in the United States, and then spent a month in Atlanta, working with the Southern Center for Human Rights, a group that represented death row prisoners. After graduating from Harvard in 1985, with a J.D. from the Law School, and a master's degree in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government, Stevenson returned to the Southern Center for Human Rights as a staff attorney. There he handled many cases from Alabama, where no public defender system existed.

From 1989-95 he served as Executive Director of the Alabama Capital Representation Resource Center, where he represented capital defendants. In 1995 he founded the Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama, and he and his colleagues have successfully reduced or overturned death sentences in over 65 cases where poor people were unconstitutionally convicted or sentenced.

Stevenson has taught at the University of Michigan School of Law, and, in 1998 became an Assistant Professor of Law at New York University School of Law. At that time, he spoke of how delighted he was "to join the law faculty…to explore ways of training law students to consider the legal needs of the poor and to effectively serve the indigent in resource-deprived regions such as the American Deep South."

At NYU Stevenson teaches courses in Capital Punishment Law & Litigation; Race, Poverty and Criminal Justice; and a Capital Defender Clinic & Seminar. He has published several books and articles on those topics, including, "Deliberate Indifference: Judicial Tolerance of Racial Bias in Criminal Justice," Vol. 51, Washington and Lee Law Review, 1994.

As one of the most effective public interest lawyers in the country, and one of the nation's leading critics of the death penalty, Stevenson is a highly sought-after speaker. In addition to his views on the unreliability of the death penalty and its disproportionate use for the poor and people of color, he fervently believes that "no one is beyond hope, beyond redemption."

When speaking to students of all ages, Stevenson exhorts them to become passionate advocates for causes in which they believe. He encourages them to recognize the power that they have and advises them, "don't be afraid to change the world."

He has won wide recognition for his work. Among the prestigious awards Stevenson has earned are the MacArthur Foundation's "Genius Award," the ACLU's National Medal of Liberty, and the American Bar Association's Wisdom Award for Public Service. In 1996, the National Association of Public Interest Lawyers named him Public Interest Lawyer of the Year. He has also received honorary degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, Washington University and Eastern University.

Bryan Stevenson continues to work tirelessly, devoting his life to helping disadvantaged people in the Deep South. "I feel blessed each day," he has said, "to be engaged in something that gives my life meaning, that keeps me spiritually alive and aware."

The American Bar Association is honored to include Bryan Stevenson, and his contributions to the American justice system, in its Black History Month tribute to African-American lawyers and jurists.

Photo Usage:
Permission to use the above photo was granted by Bryan Stevenson.

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