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UH LAW CENTER’S ONE BOOK, ONE COMMUNITY PROJECT

        BEGINS WITH ANALYSIS OF ‘JUST MERCY’








































           niversity of Houston Law Center faculty, students and staff   the state should be engaged in executing its own citizens. All of the
        Uexamined “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by   reasons attached to the “yes” and “no” answer to that question are
        Bryan Stevenson during a virtual discussion held in April. The award-  addressed in the course of Bryan Stevenson’s book.
        winning book tells the powerful story of Stevenson’s work as a lawyer   “The title of the book is ‘Just Mercy.’ Just is an extremely interesting
        representing death row clients in Alabama.                   word in the English language. It can be a noun, adverb and an

        It marked the inaugural event of “UHLC’s One Book, One       adjective. Any one of those uses of the word ‘just’ makes sense in the
        Community Project,” an initiative launched by the Law Center’s   context of Bryan’s book. It can be, “only mercy.” Or it can be that,
        Diversity and Inclusion Committee. The Diversity and Inclusion   “mercy is what justice requires.” Or it can be that mercy is just in this
        Committee was co-chaired by Professor Meredith J. Duncan,    particular case. What to me is one of the most extraordinary things
        Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Metropolitan   about the book, is that by the time you get to the end of it, it’s not
        Programs and Clinical Professor Geoffrey Hoffman, director of the   clear which of those meanings he means, or maybe he means all of
        Immigration Clinic.                                          them in the title.”
        The primary goal of UHLC’s One Book, One Community Project is   Following Dow’s remarks, attendees went into breakout rooms for
        to provide students, staff, and faculty a shared encounter with race,   additional discussion of the book.
        ethnicity, and legal justice issues, engendering greater awareness and   The event closed with remarks from Dean Leonard M. Baynes.
        understanding as well as conversations, both informal and formal.
        Introductory remarks were provided by Cullen Professor of Law   “I want to thank the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for
                                                                     organizing this event,” Baynes said. “I was most impressed with the
        David R. Dow, the founder of the Texas Innocence Network. Dow   students. They did an excellent job of asking incredible questions
        has represented more than 100 death row inmates in their state and   and thinking deeply about issues of the death penalty presented in
        federal appeals.                                             the book.
        “The question of the death penalty is the most important ethical   “This project is a great way for us to educate each other and
        question in contemporary American law,” Dow said. There are other   learn from each other. To advance the legal challenges to capital
        important questions having to do with re-distribution of wealth   punishment is going to require advocacy, fearlessness and continued
        and healthcare, but the most important question in contemporary   conversations where we listen to each other.” ^
        Constitutional law is the morality of capital punishment and whether

        law.uh.edu                                                                                                        17
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