Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Bryan Stevenson

Quote by Bryan Stevenson

“Being close to suffering, death, executions, and cruel punishments didn't just illuminate the brokenness of others; in a moment of anguish and heartbreak, it also exposed my own brokenness. You can't effectively fight abusive power, poverty, inequality, illness, oppression, or injustice and not be broken by it.”

Quote by Bryan Stevenson

Book:Just Mercy
Create image

Work

Just Mercy

Browse quotes and source details for this work. more

Author

Bryan Stevenson
Bryan Stevenson

Bryan Stevenson is an American lawyer, educator, and social activist known for his contributions to criminal justice reform and the defense of the rights of the poor. Born on November 14, 1959, Stevenson is a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Law. more

You May Also Like

“We’ve given up on rehabilitation, education, and services for the imprisoned because providing assistance to the incarcerated is apparently too kind and compassionate. We've institutionalized policies that reduce people to their worst acts and permanently label them "criminal," "murderer," "rapist," "thief," "drug dealer," "sex offender," "felon," - identities they cannot change regardless of the circumstances of their crimes or any improvements they might make in their lives.”

Capital PunishmentRacial Equity
Book:Just Mercy
Create image

“...public health literature often focuses on African American mistrust of the health care system in terms of historical mistrust of health services, emanating particularly from the Tuskegee experiments, which were conducted on African-American men between 1932 and 1972. The Tuskegee experiments are certainly a good reason for ongoing mistrust, but it is important not to overlook mistrust that is generated from contemporary health care experiences. If today, in twenty-first century America, African- American men have reason to believe they will be discriminated against by health service providers at a time when they are unwell and vulnerable, is it surprising that they delay or avoid seeking care?”

RacismSocial JusticeHealthcareRacial EquityHealth Equity
Book:Social Determinants of Health Among African-American Men
Create image

“In this wealthy, technologically advanced, highly educated nation, more and more of our darkest children are dying on the streets--literally. Still, this uncontested reality polarizes adults along racial lines, not as we attempt to discover meaningful solutions to these brutal slaughters but in our racially balkanized expression of beliefs and determinations regarding the cause of these senseless deaths.”

Racial Equity
Book:Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools
Create image

“The Tuskegee experiments are certainly a good reason for ongoing mistrust, but it is important not to overlook mistrust that is generated from contemporary health care experiences. If today, in twenty-first century America, African-American men have reason to believe they will be discriminated against by health service providers at a time when they are unwell and vulnerable, is it surprising that they delay or avoid seeking care?”

RacismSocial JusticeRacial EquityHealth Equity
Book:Social Determinants of Health Among African-American Men
Create image