Bryan Stevenson

And then after the seventh or eighth person who made that same invocation of a family relation, I really started to feel diminished. And then I realized that not only was I not related to a lawyer, I realized I'd never even met a lawyer. And by the time they got to me, I just felt so out of place that I didn't answer the question. I told a joke. I tried to distract people.

And then after the seventh or eighth person who made that same invocation of a family relation, I really started to feel diminished. And then I realized that not only was I not related to a lawyer, I realized I'd never even met a lawyer. And by the time they got to me, I just felt so out of place that I didn't answer the question. I told a joke. I tried to distract people.

And as soon as that meeting was over, I called my mom. I said, mom, I don't belong at this law school. And I had one of those kind of mothers. My mother said, what are you talking about? You belong wherever you go. You're the smartest person in the world. You can do anything you want to do. And then she said, now you need to go find those kids and tell them why you're really in law school.

And as soon as that meeting was over, I called my mom. I said, mom, I don't belong at this law school. And I had one of those kind of mothers. My mother said, what are you talking about? You belong wherever you go. You're the smartest person in the world. You can do anything you want to do. And then she said, now you need to go find those kids and tell them why you're really in law school.

And as soon as that meeting was over, I called my mom. I said, mom, I don't belong at this law school. And I had one of those kind of mothers. My mother said, what are you talking about? You belong wherever you go. You're the smartest person in the world. You can do anything you want to do. And then she said, now you need to go find those kids and tell them why you're really in law school.

And I felt better after talking to my mom, but I didn't think I could actually pull those kids together. Two weeks into law school, I still felt off. And I finally did what she encouraged me to do. And I found as many of the kids in my little group as I could. And I said, I didn't tell the truth on the first day of law school. I need to tell you why I'm in law school.

And I felt better after talking to my mom, but I didn't think I could actually pull those kids together. Two weeks into law school, I still felt off. And I finally did what she encouraged me to do. And I found as many of the kids in my little group as I could. And I said, I didn't tell the truth on the first day of law school. I need to tell you why I'm in law school.

And I felt better after talking to my mom, but I didn't think I could actually pull those kids together. Two weeks into law school, I still felt off. And I finally did what she encouraged me to do. And I found as many of the kids in my little group as I could. And I said, I didn't tell the truth on the first day of law school. I need to tell you why I'm in law school.

And I told them that my great grandfather, I said, I'm in law school because my great grandfather was enslaved in Caroline County, Virginia. And despite the fact that it was against the law for an enslaved person to learn to read or write, my great grandfather risked his life to learn to read and write.

And I told them that my great grandfather, I said, I'm in law school because my great grandfather was enslaved in Caroline County, Virginia. And despite the fact that it was against the law for an enslaved person to learn to read or write, my great grandfather risked his life to learn to read and write.

And I told them that my great grandfather, I said, I'm in law school because my great grandfather was enslaved in Caroline County, Virginia. And despite the fact that it was against the law for an enslaved person to learn to read or write, my great grandfather risked his life to learn to read and write.

He could have been sold, he could have been killed, but he had a hope of freedom so great that he was willing to risk his life. And this was the 1850s. He didn't know a civil war was coming the next decade, but he still had that hope of freedom.

He could have been sold, he could have been killed, but he had a hope of freedom so great that he was willing to risk his life. And this was the 1850s. He didn't know a civil war was coming the next decade, but he still had that hope of freedom.

He could have been sold, he could have been killed, but he had a hope of freedom so great that he was willing to risk his life. And this was the 1850s. He didn't know a civil war was coming the next decade, but he still had that hope of freedom.

And after emancipation, my grandmother told me that my great-grandfather would sit on the porch of their home and read the newspaper to people who were formerly enslaved who didn't know how to read because he wanted them to know what was going on.

And after emancipation, my grandmother told me that my great-grandfather would sit on the porch of their home and read the newspaper to people who were formerly enslaved who didn't know how to read because he wanted them to know what was going on.

And after emancipation, my grandmother told me that my great-grandfather would sit on the porch of their home and read the newspaper to people who were formerly enslaved who didn't know how to read because he wanted them to know what was going on.

And she loved the fact that he knew how to read and she would push her siblings out of the way when he started reading and she would wrap her arms around his leg when he started reading because she wanted to learn to read. And she thought you learned to read by touching somebody while they read. And he figured out what she was doing. He said, no, Victoria, that's not how you learn to read.

And she loved the fact that he knew how to read and she would push her siblings out of the way when he started reading and she would wrap her arms around his leg when he started reading because she wanted to learn to read. And she thought you learned to read by touching somebody while they read. And he figured out what she was doing. He said, no, Victoria, that's not how you learn to read.

And she loved the fact that he knew how to read and she would push her siblings out of the way when he started reading and she would wrap her arms around his leg when he started reading because she wanted to learn to read. And she thought you learned to read by touching somebody while they read. And he figured out what she was doing. He said, no, Victoria, that's not how you learn to read.