GOOD NEWS: Stevenson to speak March 31 on race, social justice

Staff reports  |  Nationally-recognized attorney Bryan Stevenson, the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Alabama, will share insights into America’s justice system March 31 at the College of Charleston’s Race and Social Justice Initiative 2016 event series.

Bryan Stevenson at TED2012: Full Spectrum, February 27 – March 2, 2012. Long Beach, CA. Photo: James Duncan Davidson

The free event, which will occur 6 p.m. at the Sottile Theatre, 44 George Street, in Charleston, will highlight Stevenson’s advocacy for some of America’s most marginalized people – the men, women and children in the nation’s criminal justice system.

One of the most acclaimed and respected lawyers in the nation, Stevenson was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2015. His memoir, Just Mercy, is the story of a young lawyer fighting on the frontlines of a country in thrall to extreme punishments and careless justice. According to a press release, it is a powerful indictment of our justice system and the values that allow it to continue. Stevenson is the recipient of numerous awards, including the MacArthur Genius Grant Fellowship and the NAACP Image Award for Best Non-Fiction. He is also a tenured law professor at New York University School of Law.

Stevenson’s lecture will take place just days before the anniversary of the shooting death of Walter Scott in North Charleston on April 4, 2015.

“We are approaching the first anniversaries of two violent shooting events in the cities of Charleston and North Charleston that made national headlines—when a white police officer and a white supremacist gunned down Black victims,” said Patricia Williams-Lessane, executive director of Avery Research Center. “These shootings intensified an already fever-pitch national debate about social justice and racial violence in America. We are most grateful to our partners and sponsors for providing the resources to make these crucial conversations happen.”

The Race and Social Justice Initiative is made possible by a major grant from Google, and is led by the Avery Research Center, Addlestone Library, African American Studies, and the Lowcountry Digital History Initiative (LDHI) at the College of Charleston. Stevenson’s presentation on March 31 is co-sponsored by the College of Charleston’s Race and Social Justice Initiative funded by Google, Charleston County Public Library, SunTrust, the SC Community Loan Fund, the Sophia Institute, the Avery Institute, and South Carolina Humanities.

In other good news:

• Bennett to take over county parks:  David Bennett, current chief operating officer for the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission, will transition over the next two years into becoming the organization’s executive director following the announced retirement of Tom O’Rourke in March 2018.

“Over the last 12 years, Tom O’Rourke and I have built a complementary working relationship,” Bennett said in a press release.  “Under Tom’s leadership, the agency has experienced local and national recognition. I’m excited to work through this leadership transition process with Tom and continue to build on and contribute to the success of the Commission.”  More:  CharlestonCountyParks.com.