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Just Mercy Discussions

Allegany County Library System is excited to continue to encourage important and engaging conversations in our community about race in America. We invite you to join us in a virtual series of discussions centered around racial and economic injustice as depicted in Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson.

Beginning on March 3rd, discussions will be held every other Wednesday night through the end of April, totaling five events. Each discussion will be focused on themes from certain chapters in the book and the last event will be centered around the movie.

March 3: Introduction – Chapter Four: The Rugged Cross
March 17: Chapter Five: Of the Coming of John – Chapter Eight: All God’s Children
March 31: Chapter Nine: I’m Here – Chapter Twelve: Mother, Mother
April 14: Chapter Thirteen: Recovery – End
April 28: Just Mercy (2020) movie

*April 13: Books on the Bricks, the book discussion group from The Book Center, will be discussing Just Mercy as well. If you’re looking for more discussion or connecting with others, or even if you can’t attend our Wednesday night meetings, please join them! Visit The Book Center’s website or call 301-722-2284 for more information.

Just Mercy book and movie are available to request from the Allegany County Library System.

Books can also be purchased at The Book Center in Cumberland and at Main Street Books in Frostburg.

You can learn more about the Equal Justice Initiative and Just Mercy here.

This event is similar in style to our discussions around Stamped From the Beginning by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi which can be watched over on our YouTube channel.


Registering for one event will register you for all of the future events in the series, so you only need to register once. A link to the Zoom meeting will be sent 24 hours before the book discussion event. This event will be recorded and made available to be viewed at a later time for anyone unable to join the live event. The recording feature for others is disabled so that no one else will be able to record this session through Zoom. No recording by other means is permitted.

Related Events and Information:

March 16 at 7 PM – Why It Matters: Reckoning with Race. Equity. Allyship. Watch the recording here.

April 13 at 6 PM – Just Mercy Book Discussion at The Book Center – Join us at Books on the Bricks to discuss this compelling, poignant and provocative book, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson.  This will be a discussion where everyone can freely speak their mind and listen without judgment… these are the hard conversations we have to have to grow as a society. 

April 19 at 6 PMBreaking Free: Life Behind and Beyond Bars – A Community Call for Criminal Justice Reform– Allegany of College of Maryland Event – Anthony Ray Hinton, author of The Sun Does Shine. Mr. Hinton was one of the people Bryan Stevenson (Equal Justice Initiative and author of Just Mercy) was able to free from death row after over 30 years of imprisonment. Attorney Stevenson and the work of the Equal Justice Initiative is also the subject of the recent powerful film Just Mercy.

Congressman Trone will also speak at the event about current legislative issues regarding criminal justice reform.

Anthony Ray Hinton’s story is a powerful  message  about criminal justice reform and racism, but also about hope , healing, faith, and the power of human connections.

April 30 – EJI Scholarship Essay Contest