One of the things that pains me is we have so tragically underestimated the trauma, the hardship we create in this country when we treat people unfairly, when we incarcerate them unfairly, when we condemn them unfairly.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the significant pain caused by unfair treatment and injustice in society.
Bryan Stevenson emphasizes the deep emotional and psychological harm that arises from systemic injustices, particularly in the context of unfair incarceration and treatment of individuals. He urges society to recognize the profound impact that our actions have on the lives of others, advocating for compassion and fairness in our treatment of all individuals, especially those marginalized or wronged by the system.
In practice
During a speech at a social justice rally, this quote could be used to highlight the need for reform in the criminal justice system.
That's my mission: I really want to get in the heads and hearts of kids and persuade them that they can believe things they haven't seen, they can do things that maybe others haven't done before them, that they are more than their worst acts.
We all have a responsibility to create a just society
Somebody has to stand when other people are sitting. Somebody has to speak when other people are quiet.
I grew up in a segregated community: I couldn't go to the public schools, beaches, certain parts of town.
If we had done the work that we should have done in the 20th century to combat our history of racial inequality, no one could win national office after demonizing people because they're Mexican or Muslim. We would be in a place where we would find that unacceptable.
The opposite of poverty is not wealth. I don't believe that. I actually think, in too many places, the opposite of poverty is justice.
Wrongful convictions happen every week in every state in this country. And they happen for all the same reasons. Sloppy police work. Eyewitness identification is the most - is the worst type almost. Because it's wrong about half the time. Think about that.
In the area of economic justice, we still have a long way to go. We have too many people who are discriminated against just because they happen to be black or they happen to be a woman or some other minority.
Justice is not cheap. Justice is not quick. It is not ever finally achieved.
It is justice, not charity, that is wanting in the world.
Most states in the union where the death penalty is theoretically on the books don't have executions.
In a lot of ways, civil rights division is the conscience of the Justice Department. You can almost measure what kind of Justice Department you have by what kind of civil rights division that you have.
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