The Sewanee chapter of NAACP in collaboration with the 213-A Leaders Program will host a screening of "Just Mercy," followed the next day by a panel discussion of the themes of the book and movie.
The Sewanee chapter of NAACP in collaboration with the 213-A Leaders Program will host a screening of Just Mercy, a recent film adaptation of Bryan Stevenson’s memoir Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. The memoir details Stevenson’s experiences as a young black attorney in rural Alabama, where many of his clients faced death row. Stevenson's story exposes the injustices of the American criminal justice system and the systemic issues of race that have resulted in the mass incarceration of many black and brown men. Stevenson’s story is familiar to many Sewanee students; Just Mercy has been the University’s common book for the last two years.
The following day, a panel—featuring Kuntrell Jackson, an activist and creator of Preventing Adolescents from Incarceration Nationwide (P.A.I.N), and Khalil Cumberbatch, an advocate for criminal justice and immigration policy change—will be in conversation about the themes explored in the movie and memoir. The discussion will be moderated by Anthony Donaldson, assistant professor of history.
Movie screening: Wednesday, Feb. 26, 5 p.m., in Guerry Auditorium
Panel: Thursday, Feb. 27, 6-7:30 p.m., in Guerry Auditorium
