May 2023 - “Redemption and Hope"
Few individuals embody redemption and hope as much as social justice advocate Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative based in Montgomery, Alabama. He understands that the best way to counter violence in our streets and in our justice system is to offer healing support. As he told an NYU Law School audience this past February, “We cannot punish our way to a less violent society.” So, I was pleased that a couple of weeks ago Stevenson delivered the commencement address at George Washington University, my wife’s alma mater.
I was less excited that Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington DC was given an honorary degree at that same commencement. While I respect her efforts to revitalize the city, increase affordable housing and advocate for statehood, I am dismayed by her focus on punitive approaches to crime. Her emphasis on stiffer penalties, less bail release, more detention of juveniles, and support of judges who demand longer imprisonment hurts communities of color the most.
We need to ease rates of incarceration of Black and Brown people through more constructive crime reduction measures, from greater mentoring and opportunities for youth to restorative justice efforts that heal broken communities. Sara Gotsch, Deputy Director at The Sentencing Project, criticized Bowser’s “extreme sentencing practices” like mandatory minimum sentences and life without parole which are “cruel, costly, unpopular, and counterproductive to public safety.” And Pam Bailey, co-founder of More Than Our Crimes, condemned Bower’s “punishment-only approach to promoting public safety,” advocating particularly for more humane treatment of youth offenders.
“Tough on crime” narratives continue to be politically useful despite disproportionate racial impact, both today and throughout history. As Bryan Stevenson points out, a century ago lynching was often justified as “necessary” to maintain law and order. Vigilantes who committed acts of horrific violence usually described their actions as commendable. Over the last five decades policing, courts, and prisons have emphasized retributive justice and violence. The results are, according to Stevenson: “Mass shootings. Gun violence. Gang violence. Domestic violence. Sexual violence. Police violence. It’s all a manifestation of a collective failure to commit to a less violent society.”
We’ve barely explored alternative approaches to crime in the United States. There have been few real attempts to implement restorative justice strategies, where those harmed by crime, including the perpetrators, are invited into a process of accountability and healing.
As CNN’s Van Jones explained, “Restorative justice shifts our understanding of crime and punishment and asks us to use a completely different logic. The goal is not to create more damage, but to create more healing.” It is healing, not vengeance, that Stevenson promotes, especially through his antipoverty and antiracism initiatives.
In his best-selling book, Just Mercy, Stevenson writes about how he “came from a world where we valued redemption over revenge" despite the trauma and injustice suffered by his family. His great-grandfather was enslaved, his grandfather was murdered at home during a robbery, and he himself had to attend a segregated kindergarten in southern Delaware. But Stevenson is ready for love and redemption. As bell hooks put it, “Love does have the power to redeem but only if we are ready for redemption.” Are we, as a nation, ready for redemption?
That’s a question I’ll ask myself next week when I visit some fruits of Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative - the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. While the Museum chronicles the legacy of racism in America, the Memorial challenges visitors to draw out some light from the darkness of lynching. Four years ago, as I began this project, I chose an image from the memorial to put on the homepage of 400Years.today because I was struck by its juxtaposition of ugly truth and profound inspiration. I hope my visit reaffirms this truth and inspiration.
Further Action:
1) Continue to advocate for “full history education” that doesn’t shield children from developmentally appropriate study of racism in the United States. Support antiracism curriculum and oppose book banning. As Bryan Stevenson said at the George Washington University commencement, “You cannot skip the truth and get to reconciliation.”
2) Read, watch, and listen to Just Mercy. Read Bryan Stevenson’s 2015 book,Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. Watch the 2020 filmJust Mercydirected by Destin Daniel Cretton. Listen to my talk about Stevenson’s book either on Youtube or Vimeo.
3) Plan your own trip to historical civil rights sites and museums throughout the south. The guidebook titledU.S. Civil Rights Trail: A Traveler's Guide to the People, Places, and Events that Made the Movement, by Deborah D. Douglas, will make it easier and more educational.
4) Oppose state sanctioned “Confederate Memorial Day” and advocate for the removal of monuments to Confederate leaders on public land. Go to thisSouthern Poverty Law Center webpageto find out more about this ongoing work. Read about Confederate Memorial dayhere.