Bryan Stevenson is African American.
Early Life and Racial Identity
Bryan Stevenson's racial identity as African American is central to his personal history and professional work. Growing up in a mostly white county in rural Delaware, he experienced firsthand the realities of racial segregation. During his childhood, he attended "colored" schools, which were a product of the systemic racial divisions of the era.
These early experiences profoundly shaped Stevenson's understanding of the law and justice. His background as a young African American navigating segregated environments instilled in him a deep commitment to challenging racial inequality and advocating for human rights, which later became the foundation of his career as a public interest lawyer and his founding of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI).
