Bryan Stevenson: We need to talk about an injustice

http://www.ted.com In an engaging and personal talk -- with cameo appearances from his grandmother and Rosa Parks -- human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson shares some hard truths about America's justice system, starting with a massive imbalance along racial lines: a third of the country's black male population has been incarcerated at some point in their lives. These issues, which are wrapped up in America's unexamined history, are rarely talked about with this level of candor, insight and persuasiveness.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/translate

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[laikalynx]

You need to go back to school.

[DevHorn]

I visited over 200 inmates in 2 Texas prisons in a 3 year period - as a prison pastor. This was hard-core (Ad Seg, Death Row, etc.). As a pastor, I found this extraordinary thing - I rarely felt that I was lied to. I expected them all to tell me they were innocent, but in fact only 1 in those 200 made that claim, and I believed him. I also saw it was about 1/3 black, 1/3 Hispanic, and 1/3 white.

I enjoyed this speech, but my problem is he did not consider IDENTITIES of the VICTIMS.

[Saint Cerini]

of course most postions of power are whites so what its been a white country since day one aside from the indians who the whites took over! its the way the world works and allways has . people in history in every culture want power its mans way.

[Saint Cerini]

unfortunately your allways gonna have poor people ! you should be helping your own like you see others do opening stores gas stations and inventing things or investing in a bussiness in your areas .

[Saint Cerini]

whats this a forum for feeling sorry for people that dont want to go too work or school? commit crimes and have kids and no fathers !! and make whites feel guilty forever its bull and you know it !get off your ass and get a job fool .look at others mexicans. indians. asians they all work and dont get in trouble nobody sticks a gun too your head and says dont go too school commit crimes etc etc etc

[Saint Cerini]

the whites are in jails fool . of course some people get away with it blacks n whites. both. and blacks actually commit more white color crime do your homework.

[Saint Cerini]

i dont feel sorry for people that dont want too help themselfs. god gave you a mind and body use it foool

[Saint Cerini]

if you blame people its allways easier too take the heat off yourself! look at roland steele a black man he beat too death 3 old white ladies in thieir 80s in pennsylvania nobody heard that on major news outlets or rioted . if that was a white man doing that it would be major news so stop bullshitting about crimes and blaming the whites

[Saint Cerini]

8% of total whites ever owned a slave in the us means 92% had nothing to do with it. so your allways responsible for yourself in life. work go too school stop having kids that you cant support and stay out of trouble. its your fault nobodys elses . when things go wrong.

[Saint Cerini]

i think black people need too be responsible for their culture by working going too school and staying out of trouble! nobody targets black! blacks target themselfs. blacks commit way more interacial crimes against whites then the reverse and if they are white its hispainic whites .year after year look at the governments crime stats on that.

[thomxAristy]

The problem with your theory is that most of the ignorant folks that did all the lynching, raping, terrorizing in the south were in fact poor. Your behaving as if Americans of color have always been on equal footing. Most of positions of power are still held by Whites. Yes the president is Black, but how about the vp, secretary of state, congress, senate. Does government represent the diversity that is the US? no! Please be a little more realistic

[thomxAristy]

People dealing drugs in white neighborhoods need to be incarcerated at the same rate as people of color. It's not about blaming whites, it's about having a more balanced system where everyone gets justice. Whether a white, or black person, can get equal representation or adequate punishment for their crime. OJ was guilty and people were shocked when he got away with murder. More shocked than when no bank or banker was held responsible for stealing from thousands Enron.