Just Mercy

As I am lying in my bed reflecting on the Just Mercy film, I cannot help but think about how so many lives are impacted by the criminal justice system in this country. I was thinking about Walter McMillian and how his time on death row affected him, and I could not understand my emotional response. I read the book. I know how tragically his story ended. Still, I was unprepared. Tonight's tears are for Herbert Richardson, Walter McMillian, Anthony Ray Hinton, and my own father. While my father was not sentenced to life in prison and did not spend any time on death row, he spent nine/ten years incarcerated. He went to prison at the age of nineteen sentenced to 35 years for a first offense. I don't think I ever empathized with how traumatic and life altering that experience must have been for him. Tonight, I hurt for him in a way that is wholly separate from my own experience. I have a reawakened compassion, and I am grateful for that. Please see this movie and read this book.  P.S.: This picture was taken while my father was in prison. My dad, my aunt, my cousin, and I are pictured.