The Harris Common Read for the coming academic year is Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, a timely memoir highlighting injustice in the criminal justice system for individuals at the margins of society, voiceless, low-income, and often people of color.  

Just Mercy

Stevenson, a MacArthur Genius Award recipient, is a social justice activist who poignantly takes readers on a journey that explores the dynamics of race in America and the impact it has on a system of policies that are expected to yield results that are fair and just.

The Common Read was carefully selected by Harris’ 2019 Orientation Leaders. All returning students, faculty, and staff are also encouraged to participate in the Common Read before the start of the academic year and contribute to discussions that will occur throughout the school year.

The program’s primary goal is simple, according to Michelle Hoereth, assistant director of diversity and inclusion and student life at Harris. “We want all incoming students to collectively share in a single learning experience while gaining an appreciation for diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and individual stories that not only impacts how we work together as classmates, but how we view the world as future policymakers," Hoereth said. 

The Common Read is part of Harris’ commitment to diversity and inclusion and our belief that it is essential that future policymakers be given the opportunity to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of people who have been marginalized and explore related policy questions.

Bryan Stevenson

The Harris community will be encouraged to reflect upon the Common Read at the Diversity Luncheon on September 27, 2019, which will feature distinguished panelists representing a wide array of perspectives. The Diversity Luncheon aims to stimulate conversations regarding social justice through dynamic discussions exclusively for the Harris community.