Bryan Stevenson

Bryan Stevenson (born November 14, 1959) is an American lawyer, social justice activist, and law professor at New York University School of Law. He is best known as the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization based in Montgomery, Alabama. Stevenson has dedicated his career to challenging bias against the poor and minorities in the criminal justice system, particularly children. He has played a crucial role in achieving United States Supreme Court decisions that prohibit sentencing children under 18 to death or life imprisonment without parole. Stevenson's work has saved numerous prisoners from the death penalty and he has advocated for the poor through community-based reform litigation. His life and work were portrayed in the 2019 legal drama film Just Mercy, which was based on his memoir of the same name.