SA Attends Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures Series Event with Bryan Stevenson
On Monday, January 25, members of Sewickley Academy attended the Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures Literary Evening series featuring author and activist lawyer Bryan Stevenson.
Last spring, Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures invited Sewickley Academy juniors to apply for two spots in its inaugural Literary Learners Community for the 2015-2016 school year. This program is tied to the Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures Literary Evenings series and invites students from different schools to join together to discuss three books, meet the authors, and attend the lectures. Senior School students Lakshmi and James were selected to participate, along with faculty representatives librarian Ms. Neely and Senior School history teacher Mrs. Cerniglia, and given the three books to read over the summer: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.
The first lecture was at Carnegie Music Hall with Bryan Stevenson. Mrs. Cerniglia said, “Stevenson's inspirational Monday Night Lecture focused on four steps to improve justice in our communities: have proximity to understand others, change narratives of "the other," maintain hopefulness in the face of challenges, and allow ourselves to be uncomfortable in order to grow.” Students are eagerly awaiting the next talk with Emily St. John Mandel on February 15 to discuss Station Eleven.
In addition to the Literary Learners group, 13 members of Sewickley Academy from Mrs. Peluso’s history class, “Struggle for Equality,” along with several students from the Student Diversity Leadership Club, and the Director of Diversity and Service Learning Mrs. Burton attended the Pittsburgh Arts and Lecture Literary Evenings, Monday Night Lectures Series at the Carnegie Melon Music Hall. Notable author and Harvard-educated, activist lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, who wrote the Top 100 selling book Just Mercy, presented a compelling plea for social justice awareness for persons on death row. Stevenson works to seek justice for wrongly-convicted prisoners on death row.
Ms. Burton commented, “Little would we know, that on this day, the very inequities that are centered in the book would become an adjusted legal ruling.” Stevenson reported that children will no longer be able to be sentenced to life in prison without parole. “Our students listened intently as Mr. Stevenson delivered story after story as he humanized the stories of people on death row,” said Mrs. Burton.
Mrs. Peluso’s history class will continue to explore the impact of systemic and legal inequities and their ripple effect. As the learning continues, Ms. Hollis, the executive director of Amachi Pittsburgh and a Sewickley Academy parent, will come to speak about the impact these inequities have on children whose parents are incarcerated.
