“I’m a middle-aged Black man. I’ve got all of these degrees, I’ve won cases at the Supreme Court – and I still go to places where I’m viewed as less than, where I’m presumed to be the defendant, or presumed to be dangerous, just because of the way I appear. And that’s a heavy burden,” says lawyer and racial justice advocate Bryan Stevenson.
“I can tell you, because I’m getting older, that when you’re constantly navigating these presumptions of dangerousness and guilt, it’s exhausting.”