Prep for Prep Families Inspired in a Special Screening of Just Mercy

There are films that inspire and teach, shaping the way we look at the world around us. Just Mercy is one of those films. Based on the novel of the same name, the movie depicts the true story of Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), and Walter McMillian, a man wrongly convicted of murder and put on death row. It is a story that confronts uncomfortable truths about inequities in the criminal justice system and highlights the importance of compassion. 

Last month, Prep for Prep and PREP 9 students were able to attend the screening of Just Mercy with their parents thanks to the efforts of Akintoye Moses, our Director of the PREP 9 Preparatory Component, and Jacqueline Jones-Peace, EJI’s Director of Development. The Preparatory Component curriculum includes advanced courses in the humanities, sciences, and mathematics to prepare our students for the rigors of independent school. Along with these academic opportunities comes a responsibility to interrogate history and the ways in which we can affect positive change in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. 

This screening opened a conversation between families and instructors about systemic racism and mass incarceration in America. After watching the film, students wrote letters to Bryan Stevenson and EJI to express their thanks and continue the conversation from one generation to the next.