Just Mercy

In February 2022, Bryan Stevenson appeared on Amanpour and Company in a video segment entitled “10 Years After Trayvon, Racial Hierarchy of Injustice Persists” to discuss the importance of Americans, as a society, coming together to confront the nation’s history of slavery and racial violence.

Trayvon Martin was killed in 2012. Just Mercy was published in 2014. Considering what you have learned in Just Mercy, and weighing it against what Stevenson discusses in the Amanpour and Company interview, what do you think America has done to reckon with Institutionalized Racism since 2012? Could the nation do more? Would you say that we live in a more just society than we did in 2012, particularly when it comes to racial Justice?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may benefit from reviewing the details of the Trayvon Martin case to engage in this discussion with deeper understanding of the key issues. You may find helpful this overview of the case in “Trayvon Martin Shooting Fast Facts on CNN.” Additionally, this Stanford News segment, “Stanford Scholars Examine Systemic Racism, How to Advance Racial Justice in America,” compiles an overview of the latest scholarly research by Stanford scholars and discussion of present-day systemic racism.