Just Mercy

I.
Shakespeare, Orwell, Whitman, Frost
High school authors I was forced to read
By high school teachers feeling hopeful indeed
With hopeful smiles they passed out assignments
Surely understanding the reluctance from the students

But then my Junior year

There was a class that caught my attention
Probably because my current teacher made a mention
Of a class called “Contemporary Literature”
That focused on modern texts and issues

The first book we read in the class was called ​Just Mercy
And it was a memoir about a man who spent his whole life
Trying to correct other people’s strifes
He was a criminal justice lawyer
Who dedicated his life to wrongfully convicted criminals

And his name is Bryan Stevenson.

II.
He believed society should choose mercy:
empathy, strength, and kindness
Over condemnation, punishment, sentencing and harshness
The main storyline follows a man named Walter McMillian
Who was put on death row after being wrongfully convicted

After finally freeing McMillian

And dozens of other desperate people
He found himself feeling suddenly feeble
For this case had taken more out of him than he thought
After receiving death threats, bomb threats, and immense pushback

However, Stevenson decided to persist

Because he knew the dozens of lives he already had the chance to save
And the many more battles he had yet to brave
So Stevenson put on a brave face
And once again chose kindness and mercy over threats and punishment
III.
Being from Chicago myself
I have seen that injustice and violence run rampant in my city
And I know the leaps and bounds that still stand between us and equity
But hearing Stevenson’s story and all the people he helped
Made me realize the impact that just one person can have

Even in the midst of poverty, darkness, and violence,

Stevenson was somehow able to still see the light
And hold onto the feeling that some people might
Have been horribly mistreated by the criminal justice system
And might be put to death by no fault of their own

Seeing his fierce and unrelenting passion

For what and who he knew he believed in
And watching him embark on many a mission
To save people’s lives who he didn’t even know
Inspired me to live with more kindness and mercy

IV.
I have known I wanted to be a teacher
For pretty much as long as I can actually remember
For on some gloomy day in second grade in the middle of December
I decided that I wanted to be the person for my future students
That my teachers had always been for me

I knew I wanted to be a role model, source of encouragement, and supporter

But until I read this unbelievably inspirational book
I had no real idea what it took
To be that person for someone else
That literally saves their humanity and life

I think being an educator

Especially in Chicago, a city so stricken
By so much segregation and division
Can be a huge challenge
And certainly not a task for the undedicated and weak of heart

But I like to believe I am up to the task

Of instilling in my future students the value of kindness,
Inclusivity, understanding, peace, and happiness
And to help them understand that everyone
Deserves a little bit of mercy
V.
In the following February after my class read ​Just Mercy
I was at a performance with my choir to honor the late Dr. King
When I picked up an event pamphlet just before we went on to sing
And a name carefully printed under “Guest Speaker” caught my eye:
Mr. Bryan Stevenson.

Seeing him speak about his life and experiences in person

Reignited in me the spark that had first been lit
By Mr. Stevenson’s undeniable wit
That I had been able to see so clearly
In his novel full of justice, peace, and mercy

And on that day, in that church, on the famed Southside of Chicago

With tears threatening to leak out of my eyes
I promised myself that I would never compromise
The lesson that Mr. Stevenson had taught me:
That every life deserves saving.