Westmoreland diversity group plans Zoom discussion of 'Just Mercy'
Westmoreland Diversity Coalition will host a July 23 Zoom discussion of “Just Mercy,” a memoir about the Equal Justice Initiative by its founder Bryan Stevenson.
The discussion will begin at 7:30 p.m.
The book covers the work of the Alabama-based nonprofit that provides legal representation to prisoners who may have been wrongly convicted or denied a fair trial, especially poor prisoners without effective representation.
The book was the basis for a 2019 movie of the same name starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, which focuses on Stevenson’s first legal case, that of Walter McMillian, sentenced to death in 1987 for the murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite evidence exonerating him.
For those who are unable to read the book but would like to join the discussion, the movie is available for free streaming via YouTube and other online platforms.
“We need to understand that our justice system is not fair and equal when we look at how Blacks and whites are treated,” the Coalition says in a Facebook post. “Perhaps by educating ourselves we can work to change things little by little.”
Registration for the discussion is available here.
Details: wdcoalition.org
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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