Bryan Stevenson Just Mercy

Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.

Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice.

Join us May 18th for Bryan Stevenson on Courage brings one of America’s most powerful moral voices to the Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival stage. In this keynote address, acclaimed civil rights leader, bestselling author of Just Mercy, and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative Bryan Stevenson reflects on the meaning of courage: how we confront injustice, stay proximate to suffering, and choose to hope in the face of overwhelming odds.

https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/events/keynote-2026