We are thrilled to be honoring CFSY co-founder Bryan Stevenson for his visionary leadership and relentless advocacy on behalf of the thousands of individuals who were given life without parole and other extreme sentences as children.

Bryan Stevenson needs no introduction. Through his bestselling memoir Just Mercy and its accompanying motion picture, Bryan has deepened public understanding of the injustices embedded in the legal system. His storytelling has reached millions, not only changing hearts and minds, but also mobilizing many to demand change. Beyond his words, he has also created lasting, tangible reminders of our nation’s history and ongoing struggle for racial justice through the visionary EJI Legacy Sites, including the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, the Legacy Museum, and, more recently, the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park.

Bryan has dedicated his life to the pursuit of justice and the service of others, using the power of narrative and proximity to bring awareness to systemic inequality. Even before co-founding CFSY in 2009, he pushed many to think boldly about how we treat children, sparking a national movement to end extreme sentencing of youth. His groundbreaking arguments before the Supreme Court in the companion cases of both Graham v. Florida and Miller v. Alabama paved the way for youth sentencing reforms across the nation, leading to the release of thousands of individuals once condemned to die in prison or serve extreme sentences as children. Many of them will be present to honor Bryan on this special day.

We know how much Bryan means to each of you. It is particularly meaningful that in the 20th anniversary year of Roper v. Simmons, which banned the death penalty for kids, we will be honoring him in Philadelphia – a city that so many in our community call home and was once deemed as the “juvenile life without parole capital of the world.” I hope you will join us in celebrating Bryan’s legacy, and I hope Bryan’s example strengthens your resolve to fight for the most vulnerable among us!