Power of Good

I 4 Fight for fairness and justice, Stevenson tells attendees StOry by JOHn Herr pHOtOS by Wynter byrD "i beLieve tHe opposite oF poverty is not wealth. I believe the opposite of poverty is justice." Few know more about the struggle to achieve jus- tice than Bryan Stevenson, who spoke those words in a powerful keynote address to Alabama Power's Elevate conference. Held in Birmingham on June 12, the third annual Elevate conference brought together leaders of Alabama's nonprofit community to share best practices toward a shared vision of improving the health of Alabama's communities. Stevenson, executive director of the Montgomery- based Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), has spent much of his career working to win freedom for those unjustly convicted by the criminal justice system. One was Anthony Ray Hinton, a Death Row prisoner in Alabama for nearly 30 years who was finally freed in April. "He lived in a five-by-seven cell. He was there during 53 executions," said Stevenson, 55. "He could smell the flesh burning." In 2002, the EJI called in firearms experts who found that the revolver Hinton was accused of using could not be matched to the crime scene evidence. It took another 12 years for the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse Alabama's lower courts and order a new trial, resulting in a judge dismissing all charges. "I think people were actually more afraid of being perceived as weak on crime than the possibility that they would execute an innocent per- son," said Stevenson. "And that narrative has to change." Stevenson spoke about "changing the narrative" as one of five essential ingredients toward improving Ala- bama's communities. The others: p p Establish an identity. "I think the identity you create is essential to your Bryan Stevenson, executive director of Montgomery-based Equal Justice Initiative, shares a powerful keynote address.

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