Power of Good

PowerofGood.com | Elevate Alabama 5 ability to change the behaviors and aspirations of the people around you," he said. "There's power in identity." p p Have proximity to the problems. "When you're distant, you miss the nuances and details around those problems," he said. p p Be hopeful. "I believe that injustice prevails where hopelessness persists," he said. "Hopefulness is the thing that will make you stand when everybody else is sitting, and speak when everybody else is quiet." p p Be willing to do uncomfortable things. "The civil rights movement wasn't comfortable, it wasn't easy, it wasn't fun, it wasn't glorious. It was painful and difficult," said Steven- son, who grew up in a community with segregated schools. "We cannot create a better Alabama without some challenges, without putting ourselves in some uncomfortable spaces." Stevenson told the attendees that poverty will not be solved without addressing the structural legacy of racial inequality that perpetuates it. "Truth and reconciliation" are needed, he said, chronicling his ongoing efforts to enact historical markers to commemorate major slave trade locations and lynching sites in Alabama. Stevenson, who peppered his speech with humorous stories from his childhood and career, expressed hope that the conference and its participants can make a real difference. "I'm just so incredibly grateful for the work that you're doing across the state to bring issues to light that don't necessarily get the attention that they need," he said. "And that's what advocates do. "I'm thrilled that you're taking time out of your busy careers to really collaborate and be in a space where you can think and talk about these critically important issues," he added. While it's good to meet people and share ideas, Stevenson noted an even greater connection must be made. "To get to a fairer place, to get to a healthier place, to get to a more just place," he said, "you've got to let the ideas in your mind be fueled by some conviction in your heart." The Elevate conference is supported by the Alabama Power Foundation (APF), which has awarded more than $140 million since 1989 through grants and scholarships. In 2015, 14 Elevate grants worth $15,000 each are expected to be awarded, one more than in 2014. The conference is also supported by the Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO), with more than 5,000 employees who volunteer more than 50,000 hours annually in their communities, and by the Energizers organization of volunteer retirees. In an interview following the speech, Stevenson expanded on his thoughts about hope. "I sit down with 12- and 13-year-old boys who tell me that they don't believe they're going to be free or alive by the time they're 21," he said. "They see all their friends and neighbors being arrested for drug dealing, sent away to prison for decades, and they don't see any other opportunities. "So we've got to understand that we're not going to scare them into better behavior, we've actually got to mo- tivate them, and that's where hope comes in," he added. Stevenson also weighed in on the recent controversial police shootings across the nation, and reports that New York Police Department Commissioner Bill Bratton said hiring African-American police officers is difficult because "a very significant percentage" of black males have prison records. "I cannot believe that if you are motivated and com- mitted that you can't diversify police departments," he said. "I think that the police department more than any other department needs to recognize how important it is to have people who have maybe made some mistakes along the way but are now committed to preventing those mistakes from being made." Bryan Stevenson, pictured with Anthony Ray Hinton, a Death Row prisoner for 30 years in Alabama who was freed in April.

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