Bryan Stevenson

They'd go places to push for the right to vote, push for the right to be treated fairly. They'd be on their knees praying, and they'd get beaten and battered and bloodied. And they'd go home and change their clothes and wipe the blood off, and they'd go and do it again. Right. And I haven't been beaten and battered and bloodied as the people who came before me.

They'd go places to push for the right to vote, push for the right to be treated fairly. They'd be on their knees praying, and they'd get beaten and battered and bloodied. And they'd go home and change their clothes and wipe the blood off, and they'd go and do it again. Right. And I haven't been beaten and battered and bloodied as the people who came before me.

They'd go places to push for the right to vote, push for the right to be treated fairly. They'd be on their knees praying, and they'd get beaten and battered and bloodied. And they'd go home and change their clothes and wipe the blood off, and they'd go and do it again. Right. And I haven't been beaten and battered and bloodied as the people who came before me.

I stand on the shoulders of people who did so much more with so much less. It's their hope that shapes my hope. My great-grandfather was enslaved in Caroline County, Virginia. When I went to Harvard Law School, they tried to make everybody feel welcome on the first day. And they took out groups of 13 students. And my group leader just asked everybody in the group, why are you in law school?

I stand on the shoulders of people who did so much more with so much less. It's their hope that shapes my hope. My great-grandfather was enslaved in Caroline County, Virginia. When I went to Harvard Law School, they tried to make everybody feel welcome on the first day. And they took out groups of 13 students. And my group leader just asked everybody in the group, why are you in law school?

I stand on the shoulders of people who did so much more with so much less. It's their hope that shapes my hope. My great-grandfather was enslaved in Caroline County, Virginia. When I went to Harvard Law School, they tried to make everybody feel welcome on the first day. And they took out groups of 13 students. And my group leader just asked everybody in the group, why are you in law school?

And the people in my group started saying, invoking these familial connections. They were all talking about how they were the son or the daughter or the grandson, the granddaughter, the nephew, the niece of a lawyer. And after the fifth one, I started to squirm a bit because I knew I wasn't related to a lawyer.

And the people in my group started saying, invoking these familial connections. They were all talking about how they were the son or the daughter or the grandson, the granddaughter, the nephew, the niece of a lawyer. And after the fifth one, I started to squirm a bit because I knew I wasn't related to a lawyer.

And the people in my group started saying, invoking these familial connections. They were all talking about how they were the son or the daughter or the grandson, the granddaughter, the nephew, the niece of a lawyer. And after the fifth one, I started to squirm a bit because I knew I wasn't related to a lawyer.

And then after the seventh or eighth person who made that same invocation of a family relation, I really started to feel diminished. And then I realized that not only was I not related to a lawyer, I realized I'd never even met a lawyer. And by the time they got to me, I just felt so out of place that I didn't answer the question. I told a joke. I tried to distract people.

And then after the seventh or eighth person who made that same invocation of a family relation, I really started to feel diminished. And then I realized that not only was I not related to a lawyer, I realized I'd never even met a lawyer. And by the time they got to me, I just felt so out of place that I didn't answer the question. I told a joke. I tried to distract people.

And then after the seventh or eighth person who made that same invocation of a family relation, I really started to feel diminished. And then I realized that not only was I not related to a lawyer, I realized I'd never even met a lawyer. And by the time they got to me, I just felt so out of place that I didn't answer the question. I told a joke. I tried to distract people.

And as soon as that meeting was over, I called my mom. I said, mom, I don't belong at this law school. And I had one of those kind of mothers. My mother said, what are you talking about? You belong wherever you go. You're the smartest person in the world. You can do anything you want to do. And then she said, now you need to go find those kids and tell them why you're really in law school.

And as soon as that meeting was over, I called my mom. I said, mom, I don't belong at this law school. And I had one of those kind of mothers. My mother said, what are you talking about? You belong wherever you go. You're the smartest person in the world. You can do anything you want to do. And then she said, now you need to go find those kids and tell them why you're really in law school.

And as soon as that meeting was over, I called my mom. I said, mom, I don't belong at this law school. And I had one of those kind of mothers. My mother said, what are you talking about? You belong wherever you go. You're the smartest person in the world. You can do anything you want to do. And then she said, now you need to go find those kids and tell them why you're really in law school.

And I felt better after talking to my mom, but I didn't think I could actually pull those kids together. Two weeks into law school, I still felt off. And I finally did what she encouraged me to do. And I found as many of the kids in my little group as I could. And I said, I didn't tell the truth on the first day of law school. I need to tell you why I'm in law school.

And I felt better after talking to my mom, but I didn't think I could actually pull those kids together. Two weeks into law school, I still felt off. And I finally did what she encouraged me to do. And I found as many of the kids in my little group as I could. And I said, I didn't tell the truth on the first day of law school. I need to tell you why I'm in law school.

And I felt better after talking to my mom, but I didn't think I could actually pull those kids together. Two weeks into law school, I still felt off. And I finally did what she encouraged me to do. And I found as many of the kids in my little group as I could. And I said, I didn't tell the truth on the first day of law school. I need to tell you why I'm in law school.

And I told them that my great grandfather, I said, I'm in law school because my great grandfather was enslaved in Caroline County, Virginia. And despite the fact that it was against the law for an enslaved person to learn to read or write, my great grandfather risked his life to learn to read and write.

And I told them that my great grandfather, I said, I'm in law school because my great grandfather was enslaved in Caroline County, Virginia. And despite the fact that it was against the law for an enslaved person to learn to read or write, my great grandfather risked his life to learn to read and write.