Blog Post #4: Reflection

     After reading the novel, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson was another eye-opener to the injustices in our world. Through being informed on current events, such as the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM) and other social uprisings-this book really solidified my point of view and ideas on racism and our justice system. My personal experiences as well as my prior knowledge on the subject helped me understand this book on a much deeper level. By experiencing first-hand accounts of racism against my friends and even seeing the judicial and police system within our own country make bigoted decisions, I suppose I never truly wanted to believe that America was still racist. 

I understood that racism was an apparent issue however I did not realize how many people are actually racist until I read this book. Stevenson brings to light these social injustices that I supposed I did not really take into thought. He recognizes the systematic racism within our country (specifically in the judicial and police systems) and how it affects people on multiple different levels. I inferred that racism really begins in some of the highest positions within our national government, ex: being the last president and the majority of his office. This systematic racism continues on and down the "ladder" of the judicial system. That is until it gets to places like Monroeville, Alabama which is when the police and judges are openly racist and feel as though they can "do as they want" which is completely not right. Their job is to protect the people of their town and American citizens-and that is not happening. 

    America's justice system is unjust, Bryan Stevenson beautifully shows and describes this within his book. Stevenson explains in numerous different ways and instances where the state was inherently racist. Personally, my prior knowledge on racism in America and in other countries is pretty informed and tolerant, at least from my point of view. The book has made me a more active and inspired ally to not only the black community but to other oppressed communities as well. 

A notable idea I gained from the book was a change of mine on the death penalty and death row inmates. I never was for the death penalty however I understood the reasoning behind it; after reading the book my opinion has changed drastically. Today, I am very against the death penalty because it falsely puts people to death too often-as well as my belief in second-chacnes. However, I did have some prejudice against death row inmates until reading Stevenson's book. I now have more sympathy towards them and feel a sense of anger toward wrongly imprisoned inmates. Imagine being put on death row for a crime you did not commit? Potentially even put to death over it? Death row itself should not be an option we have in America at all.  Stevenson encouraged and motivated me to believe harder in my beliefs and to be cognisant of my actions, as well as my countries.