Bryan Stevenson is no stranger to exceeding expectations. He has successfully argued cases in front of the Supreme Court and has helped overturn wrongful convictions. He wrote a book about his work titled “Just Mercy” and landed on the New York Times Best Sellers list. His story was adapted into a film and he was portrayed by Michael B. Jordan on the silver screen.
When the National Juneteenth Museum team was dreaming up potential guests for their inaugural speaker series, executive director Jarred Howard said Stevenson was at the top of the list, for obvious reasons.
“I hope that folks will understand that it really does start with one,” Howard said. “That people will be motivated to be their own best ambassador for their own personal missions and goals and objectives, because Bryan Stevenson started as a team of one.”
The National Juneteenth Museum is confident that Stevenson will make a lasting impression on Fort Worth when Stevenson kicks off the speaker series at 7 p.m. on June 15 at I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA.
Admission:$25-100
The event is a fundraiser for the museum, which has a goal of raising $70 million and plans to open its doors by June 2025.
In just under a year of fundraising in Fort Worth, Howard said the museum is about one-third of the way to its goal and is on the cusp of launching a national campaign. He said he is committed to raising the money necessary to give the museum a strong financial foundation from the jump.
“That’s the critical thing. We don’t want to open without strong coffers. So whether that’s through endowments, whether that’s through continuous giving, we’re really excited about the opportunity to position the museum to be solvent,” Howard said.
Before Stevenson founded the Equal Justice Initiativeand opened the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, he was just one person working toward a goal.
The power of one person to enact change and to inspire others is one of the main points Howard hopes guests take away from the event.
“Everybody’s got their own sphere of influence, if you will. And so while I might not be able to influence your mom or your parents or your siblings or your children, I might be able to influence my next door neighbor,” he said.
“If 900 people converge … and we all go back into our own personal circles and we all leverage the opportunity to have some influence within those circles, we’re going to make a pretty significant impact.”
Marcheta Fornoff covers the arts for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at marcheta.fornoff@fortworthreport.org or on Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
