Bryan Stevenson The “Visions and Ventures” speech given by Bryan Stevenson could be called nothing less than life changing. He began by giving background information on himself: he was a victim of segregation and had to attend a colored-only elementary school, he majored in philosophy in undergraduate school, and he went to Harvard law. He then went on to explain some horrifying and deeply disturbing statistics of the incarceration rates in America- especially among young, black men. He told the group that 30% of the black, male population has permanently lost their right to vote, and that 1 in 3 black, male babies would eventually end up in jail in his lifetime. After he hit the audience with numerous statistics and numbers that left us perplexed and saddened, he began to share some of his wisdom with us. He told us that “we have the capacity to embrace those who are suffering”, and “If you get proximal to the poor, you will find your power.” He explained that we cannot help the poor and troubled, or change the world, without getting closer to the…show more content… “Your hope is key to your ability to change the world.” He stated with conviction. “It is the broken that can teach us what it means to be human” he said in earnest. After this speech, I immediately texted my uncle, and role model, who happens to be an extremely successful medical malpractice lawyer in Chicago. He told me that I was incredibly lucky to have seen Bryan Stevenson speak, because he is a “legal giant.” I agreed with him, telling him that I felt like a changed person. I felt like I gained a new perspective and new sense of motivation after listening to him speak. I always knew that racial injustice was still incredibly prevalent in our society, but I never quite felt it until that
