Eight freshmen got the opportunity to eat dinner with justice advocates on Monday for their reflection essays on the All Bonaventure Reads book “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson.
Each incoming freshman had to read the book and write a reflective essay. Some freshmen said they think everyone would benefit from reading it.
Stevenson’s story revolves around his life as a young lawyer and having to defend many who were wrongly put on death row.
Freshman biology major and winner Michael Broughton believes this book can open people’s eyes to the cold-hard truth of the justice system.
“Innocent people are being thrown into a dark shade simply because of their race,” said Broughton. “And the problem of discrimination transcends far beyond just race, and I feel Stevenson does a great job of portraying this.”
Ken Nsengiyumva, a freshman undeclared business major and winner, said the book showed him racism is still alive today, but that it can be stopped with enough determination.
“It taught me to fight for what you believe in no matter how dangerous and unrealistic it may seem,” said Nsengiyumva.
Rachel Pelsang, a freshman bioinformatics major and winner, agreed that the court system is unjust. She said it tends to lump individuals together, which results in many unfair decisions.
“This categorization of people causes children to be tried as adults, the mentally ill to be tried as competent and the minorities to be tried for crimes they did not commit,” said Pelsang.
Broughton said many students come from backgrounds that have allowed them to be protected from the horror Stevenson exposes in his book.
“The people that don’t see a problem probably don’t see a reason to go to these events,” said Broughton. “We must find a way to make all students aware, so they can find motivation to learn more about the problem.”
The winners said they had the chance to sit down with the two keynote speakers from Monday night, Charlotte Morrison, an attorney, and Anthony Ray Hinton, a man falsely put on death row for 16 years. They also had their essays printed in a hardcover book, of which they and Stevenson all received a copy.
“[At the dinner] we had the chance to speak about their work, as well as the many problems discussed in the book and each of our essays,” said Broughton. “Winning was an absolute honor, and I’m happy to have been able to learn so much from Ms. Morrison and Mr. Hinton. It was truly an amazing opportunity.”
The winners said it’s important for the Bonaventure community to be aware of the unfair treatment in the world.
“Racism and prejudice don’t occur once in a while,” said Broughton. “They happen all the time, and without change, injustice will not come to an end.”
kolbee14@bonaventure.edu
