'It's your moment' -- 2012 commencement address by Stephen Bright

Описание: On the day of their graduation Yale Law grads heard not about the infinite opportunities open to them, but about those who had run out of opportunities.
Shanna Shackelford was 23 when she wrote a letter to Stephen Bright, "I lost jobs, lost my home, and lost my dogs. I now sleep in my car. I am tired and beaten and I don't understand how to fight this. ... My only question is what do I do now that I have no way to care for myself, no place to go, and an uninterested attorney."
Bright—who delivered the commencement address to the 2012 graduating class at Yale Law School—is Harvey Karp Visiting Lecturer in Law and president and senior counsel at the Southern Center for Human Rights. At the May 21, 2012, commencement ceremony he urged Yale Law School graduates to remember people like Shanna Shackelford.
Equal justice for all is not a reality in our courts, he told them, especially not for racial minorities and the poor. "Take an interest in the plight of those who speak in voices often to faint to be heard," he said. "At the moment it looks like a losing battle but it's only a moment. And it's your moment. .... We have the ability to help one person at a time."
Read more about the commencement ceremony and watch the video of the full commencement ceremony at law.yale.edu/15504.htm.