Bryan Stevenson

I don't know anything about appellate procedure, civil procedure.

And then I remembered what I was supposed to say.

I said, but they sent me down here to tell you that you're not at risk of execution anytime in the next year.

And when I said that, the man said, wait, wait, wait, say that again.

I said, you're not at risk of execution anytime in the next year.

And the man said, wait, wait, say that again.

I said, you're not at risk of execution anytime in the next year.

And that's when this man hugged me and he said, thank you, thank you, thank you.

He said, you're the first person I've met in the two years I've been on death row who's not a death row prisoner or death row guard.

He said, I've been talking to my wife and kids, but I haven't let them come and visit because I was afraid I'd have an execution date and I don't want them to have to deal with that.

He said, now because of you, I'm going to see my wife.

I'm going to see my kids.

And I couldn't believe how even in my ignorance, just being proximate,

could have an impact on the quality of someone's life.

That man and I, it turned out, were exactly the same age.

We had the same birth date, same month, same day, same year.

He started asking me questions about my life.

I asked him questions about his life.

And we just fell into this conversation.

And I forgot I was a law student.