GetWoke! Discussion on the Film “Just Mercy” [online]
Sun, Nov 29, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Join an online conversation about the film Just Mercy (2019) and its themes, with special guest Michele Frazier, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at SUNY-Delhi. Attendees are asked to watch the film on their own using their preferred viewing platform prior to the discussion. If you have financial constraints that make it difficult to view the film, please email getwokecatskills@gmail.com.

Pre-registration is required for the discussion.

Just Mercy is based on the powerful and thought-provoking true story of young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice. After graduating from Harvard, Bryan had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or who were not afforded proper representation, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Brie Larson). One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the main testimony against him came from a criminal with a motive to lie. In the years that follow, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings, as well as overt and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, and others like him, with the odds—and the system—stacked against them. Award-winning filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton (“The Glass Castle,” “Short Term 12”) directed the film from a screenplay he co-wrote, based on Bryan Stevenson’s bestselling memoir.

Michele Frazier is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at SUNY Delhi. She has a bachelor’s degree in Law, Letters and Society from the University of Chicago; a Master’s in Theological Studies from Harvard University, with an emphasis on feminist and black theology; and a Master of Science degree in Justice, Law and Society from American University. Professor Frazier is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Law and Policy from Northeastern University where she is studying the call for and implementation of Crisis Intervention Teams as a way to reduce disparate racial outcomes in the criminal justice system.

Bushel is pleased to co-sponsor this GetWoke! event. For more information about GetWoke! please visit their website.